{UAH} Parliament crash: pedestrians injured as car driven into barriers
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Parliament crash: pedestrians injured as car driven into barriers
Counter-terrorism police leading investigation after man arrested by armed police
A man has been arrested after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament in London, injuring at least two people, Scotland Yard has said.
Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens have been cordoned off as dozens of armed police swooped on the scene. Officers could be seen surrounding the car before leading a man away in handcuffs. A number of ambulances were at the scene.
Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command is leading the investigation and is monitoring the situation. It is yet to determine whether this was a terrorist incident or not, and to then make that finding public.
A Downing Street source said it was too soon "to give the incident any firm description".
Scotland Yard said: "At 0737 hours today, a car was in collision with barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The male driver of the car was detained by officers at the scene. A number of pedestrians have been injured. Officers remain at the scene.
"At this stage, officers do not believe anybody is in a life-threatening condition. Cordons are in place to assist the investigation. Westminster tube station is closed."
Peter Rhodes, an assistant director of operations with the service, said: "We were called at 7.40am to reports of an incident on St Margaret Street, SW1. We sent a number of resources to the scene including three ambulance crews, responders in cars and an incident response officer.
"We have treated two people at the scene for injuries that are not believed to be serious and have taken them to hospital."
Transport for London said though Westminster station was closed, it was open for interchange points.
A witness, Ewalina Ochab, said: "I think it looked intentional – the car drove at speed and towards the barriers. I was walking on the other side [of the road]. I heard some noise and someone screamed.
The car did not appear to have a front registration plate when it crashed, she said. "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 go out of the vehicle."
Another witness, the local businessman Jason Williams, said he saw a large dark car traveling at about 40mph crash into the barriers outside parliament. "It looked like a deliberate attack," he said. "I was shocked. I was told to move and a started to run."
The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete. The measures were extended after the Westminster Bridge attack 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 police in a courtyard outside parliament.
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