London terror incident: House of Commons session suspended after car and knife attack
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Your support makes all the difference.Proceedings at the House of Commons have been suspended after a man was shot outside Parliament.
Staff inside the building were told to stay in their offices. MPs that were in the chamber when sitting was suspended were told to stay inside the House of Commons.
Commons Leader David Lidington has 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.
Parliament will be in shutdown until further notice, the Speaker said.
Officials made the announcement in the chamber as parliamentary activity was going on.
London police said they were called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge near the British parliament on Wednesday.
"We were called at approx 2:40 pm to reports of an incident at Westminster Bridge. Being treated as a firearms incident - police on scene," the Metropolitan police said on Twitter.
Dennis Burns, who was just entering Parliament for a meeting when the security alert happened, told the Press Association: "As I was coming through the doors at Portcullis House, a policeman grabbed someone who was coming in and threw him out.
"As we were coming though the glass doors I was told by one security guard to get out while another one told me to get in.
"As I walked in I heard a security guard get a radio message saying 'a policeman has been stabbed'.
"Then I walked in as police officers and security start rushing out of the front doors on to the street.
"When I got inside I was wondering what the hell was going on and I saw dozens of panicked people running down the street. The first stream was around 30 people and the second stream was 70 people.
"It looked like they were running for their lives."
Commons leader David Lidington said the House of Commons would "remain in lockdown" until further notice.
He said: "I shall endeavour to do the very best I can, both at the despatch box and by communicating with my opposite numbers in other political parties, to ensure that Members are kept aware of what is happening but at the moment the very clear advice from the police and the director of security in the House is that we should remain under suspension and that the chamber should remain in lockdown until we receive advice that it is safe to go back to normal procedures."
Shadow leader of the House Valerie Vaz said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the police officer and to thank the police and all the security services and all the staff for looking after us so well."
Mr Lidington, in a later statement to MPs, confirmed the House of Commons would adjourn for the day.
He said: "There have been conversations through the usual channels.
"I hope the House would agree that in the current circumstances it would not be right to continue with today's business."
MPs shouted in favour of a motion to adjourn the sitting.
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Confirmation that at least one person has been killed in the attack comes through a doctor speaking to the Press Association.
A report from Joe Watts, the Independent's political editor:
By 4pm, New Palace Yard, just inside the gates to the parliamentary estate, had been completely cordoned off. On one side of the driveway was an ambulance with all of its doors open and on the paving stones medical supplies lay next to what appeared to be a body covered by a white blanket.
Nearby the cordon, four armed police officers looked across at the scene while forensic officers collected evidence. Just outside the gates, around a dozen squad cars, three fire engines and other vehicles had parked up on parliament square with a flurry of officers and paramedics walked between them.
Just around the corner, on Westminster Bridge Road, the vehicle could still be seen where it had crashed into the fence of the parliamentary estate.
The U.S. State Department says it is closely monitoring the incident outside London's Parliament and urged Americans in London to avoid the area. Spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday: "We stand ready to assist in any way the U.K. authorities would find helpful." He added that the U.S. Embassy in London is closely following the news and stands ready to help any affected Americans. He said: "Our hearts go out to those affected."
Multiple witnesses have confirmed to news organisations that a body was seen floating in the water near Westminster Bridge, following the attack.
Matt Haikin, from London, 44, said he was in shock after seeing the aftermath of the crash on the bridge.He said: "I just saw a car that had clearly driven off the road into the fence outside Parliament."As I went past I noticed there was a body next to it and quite a lot of blood and people standing around."Fairly shortly after I heard some shots, at which point it was clear it wasn't just an accident, something else was going on."He then moved to look through the Palace of Westminster gates and saw "a lot of people, people in uniform, I think I saw a couple of bodies on the ground, I couldn't tell you if they'd been asked to lie down or if they were injured".
Officials at the Scottish Parliament say that it will increase security with immediate effect after the attack, but that it has no intelligence to suggest there's a specific threat to Scotland.
Witness Richard Tice said he "counted between eight and 10 prostrate figures on the ground" after he came out of Westminster underground station and moved on to Westminster Bridge.He told Sky News: "My understanding from someone who was standing next to me was that a car had driven along the whole pavement knocking people over and that is why there were many injuries. The people lying on the ground were starting to be attended to by a paramedic."
MPs are still lcoked inside the chamber, after Parliament was placed in lockdown immediately after the attack, Hilary Benn MP has confirmed.
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