Terrorist Attack in London - UPDATE ISIS claims responsibility

UPDATE - LONDON (AP) — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Thursday for an attack by a man who plowed an SUV into pedestrians on a crowded London bridge and then stabbed a police officer to death on the grounds of Britain's Parliament.

The attacker was born in Britain and known to authorities who had once investigated him for links to religious extremism, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday in a sweeping speech in which she also encouraged Britons to go about their lives.

The Islamic State group said through its Aamaq News Agency that the attacker was a soldier of the Islamic State who "carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition" of countries fighting IS in Syria and Iraq. In addition to the police officer and the attacker, who was shot by police, two people died on Westminster Bridge and at least 30 others were injured, seven critically.

British police said Thursday that six homes were raided and eight arrests were made in connection to the Wednesday terror attack that left four dead, including the attacker and a police officer. In an address to the members of Parliament on Thursday, British Prime Minister Theresa May said the man was British-born and had previously been investigated by intelligence services for links to extremism, but had been determined to be a peripheral figure."Our working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology," she told members of Parliament. “We know the threat from Islamist terrorism is very real. But while the public should remain utterly vigilant, they should not and will not be cowed by this threat.”

The revelation came moments after Parliament held a minute of silence and reconvened less than 24 hours after Wednesday's brutal attack.

Five people, including a London police officer who was stabbed and the alleged assailant, were killed in terror attack that saw more 40 people injured outside the Parliament building on Wednesday in an act described as "sick and depraved" by British Prime Minister Theresa May.

Acting Metropolian Police Deputy Commissioner and Head of Counter Terrorism Mark Rowley said there was only one attacker who authorities believe was "inspired by international terrorism."

2:15 update - Four people, including a London police officer who was stabbed and the alleged assailant, were killed after a terror attack that saw more than 20 people injured after a car drove through a bridge outside the Parliament building on Wednesday. Police said a vehicle mowed down pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge, leaving more than a dozen with injuries described as catastrophic.

Rowley said the car then crashed near to Parliament, and at least one man - armed with a knife - continued the attack and tried to enter Parliament.

The knife-weilding attacker stabbed a police officer and was shot on the grounds outside Britain's Parliament, sending the compound into lockdown.

Courtesy of ISIS Twitter


BBC page with live updates

LINK to slideshow with several images of aftermath (some NSFW)

DEVELOPING – A police officer was stabbed and an alleged assailant was reportedly shot after gunfire broke out at the UK Parliament in London on Wednesday.

At least four people were lying on the ground, some bleeding heavily, on Westminster Bridge near Britain's parliament, Reuters reported.

The leader of the House of Commons said a man had been shot by police. David Liddington also said there were "reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity."

Looks like a second incident scene where someone in a car ran down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.

Witnesses on scene said about a dozen people were injured on the Westminster Bridge. Another witness told Sky News that there was an "almighty crash" as a vehicle hit the railings outside Parliament.

A witness told Sky News: "Someone rushed through, attacked a policeman... he appeared to be carrying a knife. We heard lots of gunfire."

LINK