LONDON: The police have arrested seven people in the investigation into a lone-wolf attacker who killed three people and injured 40 before being shot dead by police near the parliament in London, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer said on Thursday.
The police officer, Mark Rowley, said there were four dead, including the attacker, and 29 people were still being treated in hospital, seven of whom were in a critical condition.
On Wednesday, the police had said the death toll was five in the worst such attack in Britain since 2005.
The attacker sped across Westminster Bridge in a car, mowing down pedestrians along the way, then ran through the gates of the nearby parliament building and stabbed a policeman before being shot dead.
Britons have been shocked by the fact that the attacker was able to cause such mayhem in the heart of the capital equipped with nothing more sophisticated than a hired car and a knife.
The assailant is said to be of Asian origin and in his early 40s. However, there is no official word from police on the identity of the attacker yet.
“The police and agencies that we rely on for our security have forestalled a large number of these attacks in recent years, over a dozen last year,” said British Defence Minister Michael Fallon. “This kind of attack, this lone-wolf attack, using things from daily life, a vehicle, a knife, are much more difficult to forestall,” he told a foreign news agency.
Police believe they know the identity of the attacker but have not named him.
“We’re dealing with an enemy, a terrorist enemy, that is not making demands or taking people hostage, but simply wants to kill as many people as possible. This is a new element to international terrorism,” Fallon said.
Rowley said police had searched six addresses in London, Birmingham and other parts of the country in their investigation.
“It is still our belief … that this attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism. At this stage we have no specific information about further threats to the public,” Rowley said.
He said there was a mix of nationalities among the dead but gave no details. The victims were the policeman, Keith Palmer, who was stabbed and two members of the public, a woman in her mid-40s and a man in his mid-50s. The fourth dead was the assailant.
After the incident, a terror alert was issued in the entire country.
Police also reportedly had prior knowledge about a possible terror attack.
Live update re incident in #Westminster https://t.co/gd10vkudHG
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 22, 2017
The House of Commons, which was in session at the time, was immediately suspended and lawmakers were asked to stay inside, as law enforcers sealed off the area.
British Prime Minister Theresa May was safe after the incident, a spokesperson for her office said. He declined to say where May was when the attack took place.
Britain´s allies reacted with shock and vowed to stand with London in the fight against terror.
US President Donald Trump and French President Francois Hollande both spoke to May and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel said her country stood with Britons “against all forms of terrorism”.
Lights on the Eiffel Tower in Paris will be switched off at midnight in solidarity with victims of the attack.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also expressed his condolences, just hours after warning that Europeans risk being unsafe on the world´s streets as part of a bitter row between Ankara and the European Union.
Social media users shared an altered image of a London Underground sign reading “We Are Not Afraid” and the hashtag #PrayforLondon trended on Twitter.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there would be additional police officers on the city streets to keep Londoners and visitors safe.
“We stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life,” he said, “we always have, and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism,” he said.
UK won´t change terror threat level after attack: PM Theresa May
May condemned the attack, calling it “sick and depraved”.
“The location of this attack was no accident,” she said in a statement issued after an emergency cabinet meeting
“The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech.
“Any attempt to defeat those values through violence was doomed to failure”, May said.
Britain will not change its terrorism threat level despite an attack in London on Wednesday which left three people and the assailant dead, she said.
“The UK threat level has been set as severe for some time and this will not change,” she said in a televised address outside her Downing Street office.
The attack saw a police officer and two others killed by an assailant who was then shot dead by the police outside the parliament in central London.
Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK condemns attack
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Syed Ibne Hasan condemned the attack on the British parliament, calling it a “deplorable and cowardly act of terrorism”.
“This dastardly act of terrorism is highly condemnable and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and all those who suffered injuries,” he said.
The ambassador added that Pakistan and its people stand with the British in their fight against the “common threat to humanity”.
“We also appreciate the professionalism and courage of the Metropolitan Police, law enforcement agencies and first responders to the incident,” Hasan added.
