London counter-terror police have initiated an investigation after a car ploughed into people and crashed into security barriers outside the British House of Parliament on Tuesday morning in the downtown area of the British capital. (Photo/Chinanews.com)
London counter-terror police have initiated an investigation after a car ploughed into people and crashed into security barriers outside the British House of Parliament on Tuesday morning in the downtown area of the British capital.
The Met Police Counter-Terrorism Unit is leading an investigation into the incident which took place at 7:37 a.m. (0637 GMT) on Tuesday.
The car crash prompted British armed police to swarm the areas, and eyewitnesses reported seeing a man taken away by police on foot at gunpoint after he was pulled from the car.
The man who drove a silver car "at speed" has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences and the police treated the car crash as a "terrorist incident."
The Met police said that the crash terror suspect is "not currently cooperating." There has been no information so far on the motivation of the crash.
Met police said that one man remains in hospital with serious injuries, but not life threatening, and one woman has been discharged from hospital.
Earlier, police said that several people were injured. Cyclists are believed to be among those injured in the incident, which took place during the morning rush hour in central London.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said that her thoughts are with those injured in the crash in Westminster.
Streets around Millbank, Parliament Square and Victoria Tower Gardens have been cordoned off following the crash.
Officers cordoned off the whole square and asked the public and press to move away from the scene. Westminster Tube station was also closed.
The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete.
A Met Police spokesman said, "Officers remain at the scene. We will issue further info when we have it."
Witnesses described hearing screams as a silver car drove "at speed" close to the railings outside Parliament in Westminster on Tuesday morning.
A man, aged in his 20s, is being held on suspicion of terrorist offences, the police said.
Video footage from the scene showed armed officers surrounding a vehicle that had collided with anti-terror bollards.
Images showed the silver car with a crumpled bonnet and smoke appeared to be coming from the back of the vehicle.
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. "There were a couple of cyclists who had clearly been involved who were sitting on the floor and perhaps had minor injuries."
Witness Ewalina Ochab said: "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 get out" of the vehicle, she said.
The vehicle did not appear to have a front registration plate when it crashed, she added.
Another witness named Victor told Sky News that "I'm the driver of the bus stopped there (points) and I was just driving through the light."
"I saw the car crash into the barrier and a lot of smoke started coming out immediately. So I said we're not moving anywhere."
More than 10 police vehicles and at least three ambulances remained outside Parliament shortly before 9:00 a.m. (0800 GMT)
Firearms officers and at least two police dogs were stationed inside Parliament Square.
The Parliament is not far from the Westminster Bridge, where a terrorist attack took place 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.
