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Westminster attack: police hunt for clues after four dead in 'sick and depraved' incident

Police and security services are investigating the background of the man who killed four people and injured dozens in a terrorist rampage at Westminster as security was visibly stepped up in the capital on Thursday.

While the Houses of Parliament prepared to sit as normal, officers were attempting to establish the motivation and any terrorist links of the attacker – who was known to counter-terrorism officials – and look into his connections and associates.

A raid was carried out by armed police overnight at a flat above a shop in Birmingham just west of the city centre, with surrounding roads closed for several hours. BBC Newsnight reported late on Wednesday that the vehicle used in the attack – a Hyundai i40 – could have been rented in Birmingham.

A direct link between the two events is yet to be established, however, West Midlands police referred enquiries to the Metropolitan police in London, which said it would not be commenting for “operational reasons”.

In London, extra officers – armed and unarmed – have been ordered onto the streets and Parliament Square remains closed as the capital wakes up. Westminster Bridge remains closed and the tube station is open but for interchange only.

Up to 40 people were injured when a lone terrorist attacked Westminster, stabbing a police officer to death as he tried to storm parliament, and killing three members of the public as he careered through the heart of the capital in a 4x4 vehicle.

The attacker was among those killed in the first mass-casualty terrorist attack on Britain in over a decade. The Commons and Lords were locked down for several hours because of fears of further attacks.

PC Keith Palmer
PC Keith Palmer. Photograph: HO/AFP/Getty Images

The policeman who died was named as Keith Palmer, 48, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Service. He was married with children and had been a police officer for 15 years.

The Met’s head of counter-terrorism, Mark Rowley, said the motivation of the attacker was assumed to be “Islamist related” and he had tried to enter parliament but had been stopped. Rowley said Palmer “was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen”.

People fled for their lives as a Hyundai 4x4 driven by the terrorist at about 2.40pm indiscriminately ran into people on Westminster Bridge. The use of the vehicle to attack civilians was a direct copy of an Islamic State tactic used previously with murderous effect in Nice and Berlin. The vehicle then careered off the road on to pavement a few metres away from Big Ben and the attacker tried to storm parliament armed with a knife.

Moments later, a police officer who was guarding parliament was fatally stabbed. The attacker, dressed in black, was shot by another armed officer and died of his injuries.

The Guardian understands the initial working theories of the police investigation are the attacker was inspired by Isis and was most likely a “lone actor”. The attacker was already known to counter-terrorism officials. Rowley said investigators were trying to establish the attacker’s associates and his preparations for the attack.

Theresa May was rushed out of parliament as the attack unfolded and later chaired an emergency meeting of the government’s crisis committee, Cobra.

Shortly before 9pm on Wednesday, her voice cracking with emotion, the prime minister confirmed that what she called the “sick and depraved” attack had been carried out by a single assailant. She also praised the bravery of the police and other emergency services, who “ran towards the danger, even as they encouraged others to move the other way”.

The prime minister added that Britain’s threat level would remain at severe, where it has been for some time; but she struck a defiant tone, insisting it would be business as usual for MPs and Londoners on Thursday.

“The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech,” she said.

Attack at parliament

Rowley said: “This is a day that we had planned for – that we all hoped would never happen – but sadly it is now a reality.”

On Wednesday night, a massive investigation involving Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command and domestic security service MI5 was under way. Police chiefs have ordered extra officers, armed and unarmed, on to the streets of the capital.

Keeping the national terrorism threat level at severe means an attack is feared to be highly likely but there is no intelligence a specific plot is imminent.

Parliament was filled with MPs at the time – a couple of hours after prime minister’s question time. They were alerted to the incident by the sound of shots being fired.

Within minutes, David Lidington, the leader of the Commons, told stunned MPs: “What I am able to say to the house is there has been a serious incident within the estate. It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police.”

Witnesses described how a scene of horror suddenly unfolded at what is one of the UK’s busiest tourist spots. Rob Lyon, 34, from Rugby, was walking along Westminster Bridge with a colleague when he saw a 4x4 vehicle travelling at high speed, hitting pedestrians.

He said: “I heard a wheel definitely hit a kerb, quite a loud crunch noise, I looked up and saw a car clearly hitting people as it came towards me. A colleague I was with, James, I heard him sort of shout. I instinctively jumped off the pavement. I could see people being hit. And then the car just carried on up the bridge and I just looked around and was really in shock.”

Radosław Sikorski, a former Polish foreign minister, saw at least five people lying on the ground after being “mown down” by a car. “I heard what I thought was just a collision and then I looked through the window of the taxi and saw someone down, obviously in great distress,” he said.

Pictures emerged after the incident showing people lying injured on Westminster Bridge, some of them bleeding seriously. A woman was pulled alive from the Thames with serious injuries after having fallen into the water during the attack.

The car then sped towards the Palace of Westminster, and came to a halt on the pavement, up against railings to the north of New Palace Yard, the green space adjacent to Big Ben, opposite an entrance to Westminster tube station.

A man with a knife was then seen running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster, across New Palace Yard and stabbing a police officer.

The attacker continued his rampage, targeting a second officer, according to witnesses. But he was shot by police as he approached, knife in hand.

Witness Rick Longley said he saw the car crash into the railings and a man leaping out. He said: “We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out.

“They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben. A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman.”

In the aftermath of the attack, Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood helped treat the injured officer, unsuccessfully trying to resuscitate him.

The Bournemouth MP, a former soldier, was pictured with blood on his forehead, helping the police officer in Parliament Square. Ellwood’s brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali terror attack.

Two people could be seen lying within New Palace Yard, immediately outside Westminster Hall. The sitting in the House of Commons was suspended while police officers sealed off the area. Parliamentary staff were told to stay in their offices. Minutes after the incident, an air ambulance landed in Parliament Square, as sirens were heard outside, but the officer could not be saved.

Ken Marsh, chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “This incident sadly shows the dangers our colleagues face on a daily basis. They show incredible bravery protecting the public.”

Up to 1,000 people were evacuated at various locations, including Westminster Abbey. It took several hours for parliament to be evacuated.

Hospitals in London were put on alert and of the 20 injured, eight were taken to the major trauma centre at King’s College hospital, with two people in critical condition and six stable. Those at King’s were six men and two women.

Two casualties were treated at St Thomas’ hospital, immediately opposite the Houses of Parliament, a man and a woman, both of whom were stable. The ambulance service said eight of those injured were treated at the scene.

In a statement the Muslim Council of Britain said: “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.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan said in a video message: “London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will. Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism.”

  • The headline of this article was changed on 23 March 2017 after the death toll from the terrorist attack was revised downwards from five to four.