At least four people were killed and 20 injured in a “terrorist” attack in the heart of London Wednesday when a man mowed down pedestrians on a bridge, then stabbed a police officer outside parliament before being shot dead.
Police guarding the iconic House of Commons building shot the man but several people were left with “catastrophic” injuries on Westminster Bridge, a busy traffic junction popular with tourists with views of Big Ben.
The car crashed into the railings outside the heavily guarded parliament building and witnesses described a man leaping out of the vehicle into the grounds of parliament and stabbing a police officer.
Here's how the drama unfolded as it happened:
12.28pm
Eiffel Tower to go dark
Lights on the Eiffel Tower will be switched off at midnight (3am UAE) on Wednesday in solidarity with those killed and injured in a terror attack outside Britain's parliament.
The decision was taken by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
11.51pm
Trump pledges US support for UK
President Donald Trump has offered his condolences to British Prime Minister Theresa May in a phone call following the deadly attack in London.
The White House says the president praised the response of security forces and first responders and pledged "the full cooperation and support" of the US. government "in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice."
11.28pm
UAE strongly condemns terrorist attack in London
The UAE on Wednesday strongly condemned the terrorist attack which took place today outside the House of Parliament in the British capital, London, WAM reported.
Scores of innocent people were injured and killed, including a policeman.
''The UAE stands in solidarity with the Government and people of the friendly United Kingdom in confronting terrorism. It also rejects and denounces any criminal acts, regardless of any justifications,'' said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in a statement on Wednesday.
The ministry called on countries of the world to step up their efforts to counter and eradicate the terrorism menace, which threatens international security and stability.
The ministry reaffirmed the UAE's unequivocal position of denouncing terrorism in all its forms and manifestations regardless of their motivations, justifications and sources, and stressed the need to uproot terrorism and dry up its sources of funding. — WAM
11.19pm
PM's thoughts with victims
British Prime Minister Theresa May's thoughts are with those killed and injured in the terror attack outside parliament on Wednesday, her Downing Street office said.
"The thoughts of the PM and the government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families," a spokesman said.
10.45pm
Photo of alleged attacker
Several online sources have claimed that the man shown receiving treatment in this photo is the attacker (Photo Credit: AP).
10.19pm
Attacker hit pedestrians before stabbing officer
The attacker first mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge with a vehicle, then stabbed a police officer outside parliament before being shot dead, it has been revealed.
Police guarding the iconic House of Commons building shot the man, but several people were left with "catastrophic" injuries on Westminster Bridge, a busy traffic junction popular with tourists with views of Big Ben.
The car crashed into the railings outside the heavily guarded parliament building and witnesses described a man leaping out of the vehicle into the grounds of parliament and stabbing a police officer.
10.06pm
Three confirmed dead
Police have confirmed that three people, including a police officer, were killed in the attack. The assailanlt was also killed.
9.54pm
Schoolchildren injured
Three French schoolchildren were hurt in the attack near London's parliament on Wednesday, French officials said.
The three students from the Concarneau Lycee in Brittany, western France, were on a school trip there, a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.
The statement did not say how serious the injuries were.
A total of 90 students from the school were in London, about a dozen of which were in the area of the attack, an official at the school told Reuters.
"As the centre of London was hit by a cowardly attack, France assures the British people of its solidarity," the foreign ministry statement said, adding that French authorities were in contact with their British counterparts.
9.27pm
10 treated on Westminster Bridge
The London Ambulance Service said on Wednesday it had treated at least 10 people on Westminster Bridge, near Britain's parliament building, after an attack police have described as a terrorist incident.
9.04pm
Woman pulled from river
A woman has been pulled alive from the River Thames, according to the Port of London Authority. She has serious injuries.
**BREAKING**: Westminster attack: Man responsible seen being given CPR.
— Shehab Khan (@ShehabKhan) 22 March 2017
SOURCE: Daily Mail pic.twitter.com/pTreyUGIGX
8.58pm
Multiple officers injured
A London police commander sad that "a number" of people, including police officers, were injured in the attack.
A man, believed to be the attacker, is stretchered into an ambulance inside grounds of Parliament https://t.co/wOOMu6VhTv pic.twitter.com/uZcrfO4Ks5
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) 22 March 2017
8.34pm
Woman confirmed dead
One woman has died and other people are being treated for "catastrophic" injuries after an attack near parliament on Wednesday, British news agency Press Association reported, citing a junior doctor at a central London hospital.
8.26pm
Scottish parliament suspends debate
The Scottish parliament has suspended debate on a second independence referendum following the attack outsidethe UK Parliament, according to the BBC.
7.48pm
'Terrorist incident'; Trump briefed
"We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise," police said in a statement.
Meanwhile US President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the incident.
"Just getting an update on London," Trump said, entering a meeting in the White House's Roosevelt Room. "Big news."
7.41pm
Video of incident
Video of the aftermath of the incident on Westminster Bridge has been posted on social media.
A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people. pic.twitter.com/tdCR9I0NgJ
— Radosław Sikorski (@sikorskiradek) 22 March 2017
7.38pm
Seven injured on bridge
Several news reports are confirming that seven people were injured in the incident on Westminster Bridge.
7.30pm
Vehicle strikes several people
An assailant stabbed an officer, then was shot by police, officials confirmed. London Police also said officers were called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby.
It was not clear exactly what happened or how many people were injured. On the bridge, witnesses said a vehicle struck several people, and photos showed a car plowed into railings. Witnesses in Parliament reported hearing sounds like gunfire.
Leader of the House of Commons David Lidington said an assailant at Parliament was shot and that there were reporters of further violent incidents in the vicinity".
Journalists there said they were told to stay in their offices. The Press Association news agency reported that two people were seen lying within the grounds of Parliament.
George Eaton, a journalist with the New Statesman, said that from the window of Parliament's Press Gallery, he saw police shoot a man who charged at officers.
"A large crowd was seen fleeing the man before he entered the parliamentary estate," he wrote on the publication's website. “After several officers evaded him he was swiftly shot by armed police.”
7.18pm
Prime Minister was at parliament
Prime Minister Theresa May was in the building at the time of the shooting, but has been driven to another location, according to reports.
7.13pm
Shot by plain-clothes officer
Shots were fired outside Parliament in London, and at least two people are being treated, according to a Bloomberg reporter on the scene.
The shootings took place along the road inside the gates of Parliament leading onto the square, the reporter said. Police have closed streets around the area. Work in the House of Commons has been suspended.
One of the people on the ground appears to have been shot by a plain-clothes police officer, according to a witness account.
Original report
London: A least a dozen people have been injured on Westminster Bridge after large bangs were heard outside the British parliament, a Reuters photographer said on Wednesday.
This is the moment Parliament was suspended as "sounds similar to gunfire" were heard outside pic.twitter.com/to6PPxkNqL
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 22, 2017
The BBC reported that a "shooting incident" had taken place.
The House of Commons sitting was suspended as police also confirmed that a shooting had taken place.
Sky News reported that an alleged assailant had been shot, and a man with a knife was seen on parliament grounds. There were also reports that a police officer had been stabbed.
More to come.
