London terror attack: 'I saw a police officer fall to the ground, clutching their arm'

'Suddenly, I heard shouting from outside Westminster Hall to my right, quickly followed by at least two gunshots, maybe more'

I was walking back to The Independent’s office in Parliament with some birthday chocolates for a colleague, when terror struck.

All around me were MPs heading off to the chamber to vote. Behind me Michael Gove was discussing changes to school funding with a worried Conservative MP.

Suddenly, I heard shouting from outside Westminster Hall to my right, quickly followed by at least two gunshots, maybe more.

Turning my head, I saw a police officer fall to the ground, clutching his arm or his shoulder.

In the confusion, as shouts and screams rang out around me, it appeared the officer had been shot, although we later learned he had been stabbed.

I saw his attacker running towards Parliament’s main gates, trying to escape it seemed, but he was quickly cut down by the shots from other police officers.

There were shouts before the shots came – a warning for the man in dark clothes to drop his weapon, presumably – but it was ignored and he paid the price.

As the man lay motionless, other officers rushed to usher away a large crowd standing outside Westminster Hall, just a few yards from the violence.

Some MPs started to ask me what was going on, while others rushed away as the severity of the incident started to become clear. Then we were ordered to follow them.

Back in the office, I and other reporters watched from the window overlooking New Palace Yard as paramedics tended to the stricken officer.

A few yards away, it seemed clear that his attacker was fighting for life, a paramedic kneeling over him furiously pumping his chest over-and-over again to keep his heart going.

As we watched, Parliament went into lockdown and the Commons was suspended as disbelieving MPs were told what had happened outside the supposedly super-secure Palace of Westminster.

“There has been a serious incident within the estate,” Commons Leader David Lidington said. “It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police.

”An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties.”

Only then did it emerge that an even worse horror had taken place just outside Parliament’s railings, with reports of many bodies on Westminster bridge – mowed down by a car which then crashed into Parliament’s gates.