Showing posts with label City of Westminster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label City of Westminster. Show all posts

Sunday, June 4, 2017

London Terror Attacks: At Least Two Dead Amid Van Ramming, Stabbing, Gunfire: Live Feed


The latest:


  • "Multiple" casualties after two terrorist attacks took place in London on Saturday night; police have responded to attacks on London Bridge and Borough Market

  • At least two people have been killed amid confirmed knife attacks, gunfire, at least 20 injured.

  • The attacks started when a white van drove into Pedestrians on London Bridge around 10:30pm on Saturday.

  • A BBC eyewitness saw three men stabbing people indiscriminately, shouting "this is for Allah".

  • "I saw a man with a large blade": witnesses describe the attack after the van attack.

  • There have been multiple reports of rapid gunfire in what one witness described as “Westminster all over again”.

  • BBC reports that two attackers were gunned down, and believed killed, by armed police.  One was seen with canisters strapped to his body.

  • Another 3 attackers thought to still be on the run, the BBC adds.

  • Theresa May and the Met Police have declared the attacks are being treated as acts of terror

* * *


Update 8:54pm. The Telegraph has shown the following picture distributed on social media showing a man lying on the ground who appears to have canisters strapped to him. It was taken in the Borough Market area.


The BBC earlier tonight reported an unnamed eyewitness, a security guard who works across multiple bars and pubs in Borough Market, claiming to have seen a man with a canister strapped to his abdomen. Stressing that the reports were unverified, the news channel claims the man saw the attackers after receiving a call from a colleague in another bar who said people had been stabbed.


The eyewitness described people running away screaming from three men, one wearing a red and black top. He claimed one man had a canister taped to his abdomen. The man and his colleagues tried to throw chairs at the three attackers, who were going in and out of different bars, before helping to evacuate the area



* * *


Update 8:40 pm. BBC reports that two attackers are believed to have been gunned down - believed killed - by armed police, The Sun says citing witnesses. Another three attackers are thought to still be on the run, the newspaper adds.


* * *


Update 8:33 pm. An eyewitness on London Bridge, told the BBC he saw three men stabbing people indiscriminately, shouting "this is for Allah".


"I saw these three Muslim guys run up and started stabbing this girl. They attacked her and stabbed another guy. They started running up the road, stabbed the bouncer at the Tavern. "I was throwing bottles at them, pint glasses, stools, chairs, but I was defenceless.


"They were running up saying "this is for Allah"."


"They stabbed this girl maybe ten, 15 times. She was saying "help me, help me"." He claimed he had hit one of the attackers on the back of the head by throwing things at him, and was chased, but escaped unharmed.


John Stokes, London bus tour guide, said he counted eight people lying in the road or pavement receiving medical treatment on London Bridge.


He had arrived on the scene with a bus full of tourists moments after the attack, initially thinking it was a one-off traffic accident before seeing the number of casualties. After the police arrived, he said, an office banged on the bus door and told everyone on the bus to run towards Monument. "All the tourists on our bus ran for their lives," he said.



* * *


Update 8:31 pm. London Mayor, Sadiq Khan has issed the following statement on the "horrific terrorist attack" at London Bridge and Borough Market.



* * *


Update 8:30 pm. Eyewitness: "About 50 police were pointing guns at us"


Describing the attack at Borough Market, Kumi de Costa tells BBC what she saw:


"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."


* * *


Update 8:27 pm. According to the deputy digital news editor  for The Sun there have been explosions outside The Sun"f office.



According to subsequent reports, these were "controlled" explosions.


* * *


Update 8:20pm:  The Met Police also declare today"s two attacks terrorist attacks:



* * *


Update: 7:53 U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has


released a statement officially confirming that tonight"s attacks are being treated as acts of terrorism.


Here"s May:





"Following updates from our police and security officials, I can confirm that the terrible incident in London is being treated as a potential act of terrorism"


"This is a fast moving investigation. I want to express my huge gratitude to the police and emergency services who are on th scene, our thoughts are with those who are caught up in these dreaful events."



May"s declaration confirms that this is the UK"s third terror incident in less than three months.


* * *


Update: 7:35


President Donald Trump has tweeted twice since the incident, which began about an hour and a half ago when a white van drove into pedestrians on London Bridge. The president has signaled that "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!"





* * *


Update 7:15 pm


Reports have emerged that ISIS has taken responsibility for the attack



Separately, Theresa May, who has been campaigning in the General Election, was returning to Downing Street to receive further briefings from security officials.


According to the Telegraph, May will chair a Cobra meeting about tonight"s incidents first thing on Sunday morning.  It is understood that the Prime Minister was in her Maidenhead constituency when she was alerted to the news.  So-called Cobra meetings are named after Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, where crisis response meetings are held.  They usually include the Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers as well as intelligence and security officials.  May held two Cobra meetings in one day less than two weeks ago on the day of the Manchester bombing.


Meanwhile, armed police have evacuated the Shard, the Globe and businesses in a mile radius of the scene.


* * *


Update 6:55 p m


BBC reports that multiple people have been killed in the various incidents in London, with Telegraph reporting that according to Police sources at least two people have been killed in the London Bridge area.


* * *


Update: 6:42 pm


According to a BBC reporter at the scene, police are now searching for three possibly armed suspects. According to Sky News, citing Scotland Yard,  there has been a third separate incident in the Vauxhall region in South London. The BBC also adds that it can confirm earlier reports of gunshots being fired. Reports suggest it may have been more than one incident:


  • A van hitting people at London Bridge and three people then jumping out of the vehicle and attacking members of the public;

  • A separate incident at Borough Market

  • Police have now said they are responding to a third incident in Vauxhall

It is understood that police are looking for three suspects who may be armed.



Later, the Met Police said the Vauxhall incident was a knife attack unconnected to the other two incidents.



* * *


Separately, an eyewitness told LBC radio what he saw tonight. The taxi driver said: "A van came from London Bridge itself, went between the traffic light system and rammed it towards the steps. It knocked loads of people down.


"Then three men got out with long blades, 12 inches long and went randomly along Borough High Street stabbing people at random."


* * *


Update: 6:33pm


Sean Spicer confirms that the president is being kept informed about the incident.



Additionally, according to police there has been a second incident at Borough Market, as police are now dealing with two separate incidents, London Bridge and Borough Market.


* * *


Original


In what appears to be a repeat of the deadly March 22 terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge in London, on Saturday night a white van rammed into as many as 15-20 pedestrians as "several people mowed down" on London Bridge in central London in what has been dubbed a "major incident." The incident happened at 10.30pm on Saturday. According to preliminary reports there have been at least 6 victims, and a cab  driver on the bridge has reported he saw a stabbing man. About five people were being treated for injuries after the vehicle mounted the pavement and hit them, she said.


Scotland Yard reports that in addition to the car ramming, London police say they have also responded to an incident at Borough Market; armed officers at scene. It is unclear if the two incidents are releated.


Several eyewitness accounts have emerged which suggest there have been multiple casualties, with bodies strewn across the pavement. Others reports that several people are receiving emergency treatment after being stabbed. One woman told the Sun; "We had to run there was loads of shooting".



Armed police on Borough High Street


BBC reporter Holly Jones, who was on the bridge at the time of the incident, said the white van was driven by a male driver and was "probably travelling at about 50 miles an hour - veered of the road into the crowds of people who were walking along the pavement," she told BBC News.". The van, which was travelling from the direction of central London, headed towards the south side of the river.



Armed Police officers on London Bridge


According to Will Heaven, managing editor of the Spectator, a man crashed into people on the bridgge, "then there was stabbing attack." Heaven also notes that "it seemed south side of London Bridge epicenter of what seems a terrorist attack. We have been escorted by police from bridge." He adds that "what I saw: injured pedestrians, first responders, armed police, people running north. What I heard of: stabbings, injured."


According to Sky News, "all the information points in the direction of another terrorist attack."


So far there has been no official statement from the Metropolitan Police other than a Twitter message posted at 10.28pm which stated: "We are dealing with an incident on #LondonBridge, when we have more information we will update this twitter feed”.



More from social media:









 

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Thursday, March 23, 2017

Five People Killed, At Least 40 Injured After Terrorist In SUV "Mows Down" Pedestrians In London

Live feed from SkyNews:


 



The moment that shots rang out...




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 


It is believed this was 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.


Armed Police have opened fire and shot a person outside the Houses of Parliament. A vehicle was seen on social media to have crashed into the fence of the palace 


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".


It is believed a police officer was stabbed by the knifeman before he was shot by officers


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."


There were disturbing scenes on Westminster Bridge where around a dozen pedestrians were knocked down by the car


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, the main thoroughfare in and out of Parliament 


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 more than 10 people were reported knocked down


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.



* * *
Earlier:










A woman lies injured after a shooting incident on Westminster Bridge in London


Update 2:


  • ALLEGED ASSAILANT WAS SHOT AT UK PARLIAMENT BY ARMED POLICE - LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

  • POLICEMAN STABBED, MAN SHOT; REPORTS OF OTHER INCIDENTS. PARLIAMENT SITTING SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: MNI

Update 1:


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

  • AT LEAST ONE PERSON BEING TREATED, HELD AT GUNPOINT BY POLICE

  • ARMED POLICE SEEN RUNNING TO EXIT FROM UK PARLIAMENT - REUTERS WITNESS

  • REUTERS PHOTOGRAPHER SAYS SEES AT LEAST A DOZEN INJURED PEOPLE ON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE NEAR PARLIAMENT

  • TRANSPORT FOR LONDON SAYS UNDERGROUND STATION AT WESTMINSTER HAS BEEN SHUT AT POLICE REQUEST






Developing

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