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| U.K. Parliament Attacker Shot; Mayhem on Westminster Bridge | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — Britain’s Parliament was placed on lockdown on Wednesday afternoon after a man stabbed a police officer and was then shot by other officers, in what London’s Metropolitan Police described as “a terrorist incident.” | |
| Witnesses also reported that a motorist on Westminster Bridge, next to Parliament, operating a large vehicle, mowed down at least five people before coming to a halt. A woman who was struck on the bridge died at a hospital. | |
| It was not immediately clear if the motorist was also the knife assailant, but the knife attack and the ramming on the bridge quickly stoked fears of terrorism. | |
| Prime Minister Theresa May was rushed into a vehicle and spirited back to her office, where her aides reported that she was safe. Ambulances and other emergency vehicles thronged the scene, as one of the busiest sections of London was cordoned off and evacuated. The Westminster station on the Tube, London’s subway system, was closed. | |
| Inside the House of Commons, astonished lawmakers, some of whom had ducked for cover, were told that they should not leave the chamber. | |
| “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’ve 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. | |
| Mr. Lidington, while cautioning that his information, was “very limited,” said: “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.” | Mr. Lidington, while cautioning that his information, was “very limited,” said: “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.” |
| 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 then came in to tell them that a serious incident had taken place. | |
| The police said officers had been summoned to the bridge around 2:40 p.m. because of reports of “a firearms incident.” Witnesses said they had heard gunfire near Portcullis House, an office building for lawmakers and members of their staff. | |
| Jayne Wilkinson, 59, from Birmingham, England, 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 compound of Parliament, 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. | “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 who were inside the grounds of Westminster Palace said they heard shots fired in rapid succession before they were escorted off the premises. “It was bang-bang-bang,” one of them said. | Three construction workers who were inside the grounds of Westminster Palace said they heard shots fired in rapid succession before they were escorted off the premises. “It was bang-bang-bang,” one of them said. |
| Reuben Saunders, an American student at Cambridge University who was visiting Parliament, said he was on his way out of the building when he saw a police officer being attacked by the assailant. | Reuben Saunders, an American student at Cambridge University who was visiting Parliament, said he was on his way out of the building when he saw a police officer being attacked by the assailant. |
| “He was at the gate, I heard screaming,” Mr. Saunders said, adding that the assailant had two knives or similar weapons. “I saw the man on the ground being repeatedly stabbed, or pummeled,” | |
| “There was another policeman standing by,” he added. “I thought he should have shot, but maybe he was unarmed.” | |
| Mr. Saunders said that two or three other police officers arrived and, at that point, he retreated. “There were two or three gunshots,” he said. | Mr. Saunders said that two or three other police officers arrived and, at that point, he retreated. “There were two or three gunshots,” he said. |
| Corinne Desray, a teacher who was outside Parliament with 39 teenage students on a three-day school trip from northern France, said they 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. We’re heading back to the bus.” | |
| Kirsten Hurrell, 70, who owns a newsstand opposite the clock tower known as Big Ben, said she saw 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, England, said he emerged from the Westminster subway station around 2:40 p.m. for a meeting with a lawmaker when he realized that something was amiss. | Robert Vaudry, 52, a fund manager from Stratford-upon-Avon, England, said he 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.” | “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.” | As he spoke, police officers were cordoning off the area. One officer shouted, “We need everyone to move back past Downing Street.” |
| Christopher Hope, a journalist for The Daily Telegraph, reported at 2:41 p.m. that he had heard shots fired outside Parliament. | Christopher Hope, a journalist for The Daily Telegraph, reported at 2:41 p.m. that he had heard shots fired outside Parliament. |
| Kevin Schofield, a journalist at the political website Politics Home, reported that a police officer had been injured, and that he had seen an assailant carrying a knife or a gun. | Kevin Schofield, a journalist at the political website Politics Home, reported that a police officer had been injured, and that he had seen an assailant carrying a knife or a gun. |
| 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 seriously restricted. | 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 seriously restricted. |
| In 1979, a lawmaker was assassinated near the Parliament building. Airey Neave, a Conservative Party member, was killed when his car was blown up. | In 1979, a lawmaker was assassinated near the Parliament building. Airey Neave, a Conservative Party member, was killed when his car was blown up. |
| Radoslaw Sikorski, a former foreign minister who was in the area, told the BBC he had seen a collision and saw someone down in great distress. He said he saw a vehicle mowing people down and that at least five people were seriously injured. He said he saw at least one person was bleeding. “Someone was down in great distress,” he said. | Radoslaw Sikorski, a former foreign minister who was in the area, told the BBC he had seen a collision and saw someone down in great distress. He said he saw a vehicle mowing people down and that at least five people were seriously injured. He said he saw at least one person was bleeding. “Someone was down in great distress,” he said. |
| Tom Peck, a political writer for the newspaper The Independent, said on Twitter: “There was a loud bang. Screams. Commotion. Then the sound of gunshots. Armed police everywhere.” | |
| President Trump was briefed on the shooting, according to the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer. | President Trump was briefed on the shooting, according to the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer. |