London terror attack: Police officer among four dead after knifeman in car ploughs into pedestrians near Parliament before being shot
- Man shot by police as he tries to access Palace of Westminster
- Attacker mowed down up to a dozen on Westminster Bridge
- Police officer among four dead, as others 'catastrophically' hurt
- Witnesses describe Asian man in 40s with eight-inch long knife
- Pictured: Hero MP battles to save life of stabbed police officer
- Three French teenagers feared to be among bridge victims
- Telegraph reporter: I thought of images of Mumbai attack
- Everything we know so far about London terror attack
A police officer is among four people 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.
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 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.
Footage later emerged of the moment police open 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:
- One woman hit by the attacker's car before he reached Parliament was confirmed dead and 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 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.
Donald Trump speaks to Theresa May about London attack
Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, says President Donald Trump has spoken to Theresa May, reports Harriet Alexander.
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."
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.
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."
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."
'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."
