London Parliament Attack: Where is the Palace of Westminster?

It has been reported that shots have been fired outside of the Houses of Parliament in central London today, with gunfire being heard around the building.

Eyewitnesses say that at least a dozen people have been injured on Westminster Bridge with an attacker with a knife being seen within the grounds of the Palace of Westminster.

According to reports, a man has been shot by armed police outside UK parliament and the building is on lockdown.

Where is the Palace of Westminster?

The Palace of Westminster lies on the north bank of the River Thames in Westminster, central London. It is the meeting place of the two Houses of Parliament; the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

It also neighbours Westminster Abbey, one of the United Kingdom’s most notable religious buildings and the burial site of British monarchs.

What do we know?

At least one person has been shot by the police outside of the Houses of Parliament following reports of a loud explosion and gunshots, police have confirmed that they responded to a firearms incident at 2.40pm this (22/03/17) afternoon.

A man with a knife was also seen in the grounds of Parliament and other witnesses say a car mowed down at least five people on Westminster Bridge.

Multiple injured people are being treated by paramedics.

What is the UK terror threat level?

The UK’s threat level has been at ‘severe’ for the last two years, which means that an attack is highly likely.

There is only one category above severe, ‘critical’, which means that an attack is expected imminently.

Then-Home Secretary Theresa May raised the threat level to severe in August 2014 in response to growing conflict in Iraq and Syria and growing fear of terrorist groups such as ISIS.

The last mass terrorist attack in Britain was the 7/7 attack that killed 52 people in London in 2005.

Police have confirmed that they are “treating the attack as a terrorist incident”.