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LONDON, UK - At least three people, including a police officer, have been murdered and others 'catastrophically' injured in a combined car and knife attack on pedestrians in Westminster and at parliament itself.
Reports indicate that a man driving a car ploughed into pedestrians – it is said to include a group of French tourists – on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the wall of parliament and then stabbing a police officer near the entrance of parliament before being shot. The attacker later died.
Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood immediately gave medical assistance to the police officer at some risk to his own life and was seen with the officer's blood on his face. He will be hailed as one of many heroes in the response to this attack and it is particularly poignant for him given that his own brother was killed in the Al Qaeda bomb attack on a disco in Bali in 2002. The police officer has since died from his wounds.
The British police are treating the attack as a terrorist incident and parliamentary proceedings were suspended and parliament put into lockdown while a large area of central London was cordoned off. Prime Minister Theresa May was near the incident but evacuated by her security detail.
The KRG High Representative to the UK, Karwan Jamal Tahir, who was with me at an all-party parliamentary group meeting in parliament in the morning, immediately tweeted his solidarity. He wrote 'Terrible terror attack on #BritishParliament, Solidarity from #KRG to all MPs and #British people. @KurdistanRegion @KRG_UK @APPGKurdistan.' Messages of solidarity and condolences from world leaders have been flooding in.
The Muslim Council of Britain said: “We are shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected. We pay tribute too to the police and emergency services who handled this with bravery. The Palace of Westminster is the centre of our democracy and we must all ensure that it continues to serve our country and its people with safety and security.”
The last terrorist attack on Parliament was in March 1979 when an Irish republican group planted a bomb under the car of a leading Conservative MP, Airey Neave. Today's attack took place on the day of the first anniversary of the lethal Daesh assault on the airport in Brussels. It is too soon to be certain but the Westminster atrocity has all the hallmarks of a Daesh lone wolf operation and is in line with their injunctions to kill in whatever way possible.
Reports indicate that a man driving a car ploughed into pedestrians – it is said to include a group of French tourists – on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the wall of parliament and then stabbing a police officer near the entrance of parliament before being shot. The attacker later died.
Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood immediately gave medical assistance to the police officer at some risk to his own life and was seen with the officer's blood on his face. He will be hailed as one of many heroes in the response to this attack and it is particularly poignant for him given that his own brother was killed in the Al Qaeda bomb attack on a disco in Bali in 2002. The police officer has since died from his wounds.
The British police are treating the attack as a terrorist incident and parliamentary proceedings were suspended and parliament put into lockdown while a large area of central London was cordoned off. Prime Minister Theresa May was near the incident but evacuated by her security detail.
The KRG High Representative to the UK, Karwan Jamal Tahir, who was with me at an all-party parliamentary group meeting in parliament in the morning, immediately tweeted his solidarity. He wrote 'Terrible terror attack on #BritishParliament, Solidarity from #KRG to all MPs and #British people. @KurdistanRegion @KRG_UK @APPGKurdistan.' Messages of solidarity and condolences from world leaders have been flooding in.
The Muslim Council of Britain said: “We are shocked and saddened by the incident at Westminster. We condemn this attack and while it is still too early to speculate on the motives, our thoughts and prayers are for the victims and those affected. We pay tribute too to the police and emergency services who handled this with bravery. The Palace of Westminster is the centre of our democracy and we must all ensure that it continues to serve our country and its people with safety and security.”
The last terrorist attack on Parliament was in March 1979 when an Irish republican group planted a bomb under the car of a leading Conservative MP, Airey Neave. Today's attack took place on the day of the first anniversary of the lethal Daesh assault on the airport in Brussels. It is too soon to be certain but the Westminster atrocity has all the hallmarks of a Daesh lone wolf operation and is in line with their injunctions to kill in whatever way possible.
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