Parliament was put on lockdown Wednesday, following a chaotic attack on Westminster bridge that has left at least one dead. Authorities are currently considering the incident an act of terrorism.
The New York Times reports that authorities suspect two assailants, one who was shot outside Parliament after stabbing a police officer, and a second who drove onto Westminster Bridge, running over five pedestrians. There is a possibility that both attacks were carried out by one man, though the BBC reports that some witnesses attest that there were two men in the car on the bridge.
Commander of the Metropolitan Police, B. J. Harrington, told the press that a “full counterterrorism investigation is underway.” Members of the House of Commons were told to stay in place as authorities searched the building office by office. A doctor from St Thomas’ Hospital confirmed with the BBC that there had been one death at the scene and several other casualties, though the exact number and nature of the injuries have not been released.
“There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic,” she said, “Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries. There were maybe a dozen [injured].”
This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
Updated [5:15 p.m.]: The BBC is reporting two people have died and 20 are injured after the attacker drove into them with a car on Westminster Bridge, and a police officer has died after being stabbed outside Parliament. The assailant has also been killed.
“The location of this attack was no accident,” said Prime Minister Theresa May, according to CNN. “The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, regions, and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy, and freedom of speech.”
May is set to hold an emergency meeting of her cabinet.