UK parliament crash treated as terrorism incident, police say

LONDON – British police arrested a man on suspicion of terrorism offenses on Tuesday after he drove a car through a group of cyclists and into security barriers outside parliament, injuring three people.

London’s Metropolitan Police said the incident, which appeared to be the second attack on parliament in just under 18 months, was being treated as a terrorism incident.

Police said a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament at 0637 GMT.

“The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers,” police said in a statement. “He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offenses. 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 March 2017, Khalid Masood, 52, killed four people on nearby Westminster Bridge before he stabbed to death an unarmed police officer in the grounds of parliament. He was shot dead at the scene. It was the first of five attacks on Britain last year which police blamed on terrorism.

London’s Ambulance Service said it had treated two people at the scene on Tuesday and they had been taken to hospital. Their injuries were not believed to be serious. A third person with minor injuries was assessed at the scene.

Armed police swarmed the scene and cordoned off a large area around the parliament in central London, usually bustling with tourists and government workers.

“It’s a very serious incident,” witness Jason Williams told reporters. “There was smoke coming from the vehicle.”

Camera footage showed the vehicle taking a wrong turn into a group of cyclists waiting at a traffic light before veering across the road and into a lane used for accessing parliament where it struck a barrier and came to a halt.

Government security officials were due to hold a meeting of their emergency committee at 1300 GMT to discuss the incident.

“INJURED CYCLISTS”

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. Other footage showed a cyclist lying on the street.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who like other lawmakers is on holiday during parliament’s summer recess, said her thoughts were with the people injured.

“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

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) August 14, 2018

Westminster Underground station, close to parliament, was closed to the public and the building cordoned off.

Parliament is in summer recess and most lawmakers are not using the building. Prime Minister Theresa May is on holiday abroad.

However, UK’s government emergency committee reported it will hold a meeting at 1300GMT to discuss the incident.

In March 2017, Khalid Masood, 52, killed four people on nearby Westminster Bridge before he stabbed to death an unarmed police officer in the grounds of parliament. He was shot dead at the scene. It was the first of five attacks on Britain last year which police blamed on terrorism.

Britain is on its second highest threat level of “severe,” meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely.

Last week, a Muslim convert admitted plotting to kill more than 100 people by driving a truck into pedestrians on London’s Oxford Street, the capital’s major shopping thoroughfare.

In October last year, 11 people were injured when a car collided with pedestrians near London’s Natural History Museum, raising fears of an attack, but police later said the incident was a road traffic accident.