London attack as it happened: Five dead and 40 injured after terror incident in Westminster

Westminster terror attack: Timeline of events

A police officer has been stabbed and an alleged assailant shot by armed police outside the Houses of Parliament.

Here's what we know so far:

• Police officer died after being stabbed outside Parliament
• Two people reported dead after a car ploughed into crowd on Westminster bridge causing multiple casualties
• Metropolitan police are treating this as a terrorist incident
• Eyewitness account of the stabbing incident outside Parliament gate
• Donald Trump has been briefed on the attack, Sean Spicer confirms
• Theresa May was '40 yards away' from scene of stabbing, was immediately evacuated and confirmed safe
• House of Commons session suspended and MPs evacuated

Please allow a moment for the live blog to load

Commons Leader David Lidington has told MPs a "police officer has been stabbed" and the "alleged assailant was shot by armed police" following a "serious" incident within the parliamentary estate.

Minutes later, an emergency services helicopter landed in Parliament Square, as sirens were heard outside.

Iframe:

Air ambulance medics came from the helicopter to assist the casualties.

A woman was confirmed dead after a car ploughed into corwds on Westminster Bridge causing multiple casualties (Reuters)

Two people lay on the ground in the yard. One of them appeared to have had clothes removed as emergency workers attempted to resuscitate the pair.

Parliament Square was closed to traffic.

[22 March 2017 15:57 · Andrew Griffin]

Daily Mail political editor Jason Groves witnessed the incident from his office window.He said: "I heard a bang coming from Westminster Tube station, looked out the window, there's a commotion, armed cops were running, the crowd of people outside were running as if for their lives."A guy comes through the vehicle entrance wielding something, towards a copper, the copper tumbles."The man's running towards Westminster Hall, and then you've got a plain clothes copper comes running out."Not from the gate, but from the inside, shoots him once from maybe 10 or 15 yards away with a handgun, and then gets closer to him and shoots him again from over him and he doesn't get up."

[22 March 2017 15:58 · Andrew Griffin]

Police have warned that pictures shouldn't necessarily be shared, but that they should all be passed on to the police. 

Metropolitan Police

@metpoliceuk

If you have photos or film of the incident in #Westminster please make sure you pass them to police https://t.co/l9dn1FQr7B

3:41 PM - 22 Mar 2017

• Reply
• Retweet
• Favorite

 

Metropolitan Police

@metpoliceuk

Please use common sense and restraint in circulating pictures and videos of those that have been injured during the incident in #Westminster

3:45 PM - 22 Mar 2017

• Reply
• Retweet
• Favorite

[22 March 2017 15:59 · Andrew Griffin]

Witness Rick Longley told the Press Association that he saw a man stab a policeman outside Britain's Parliament."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," he said."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."I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw."Lawmaker Adam Holloway told the AP he saw people running and immediately ran into his offices in Parliament to be with his staff. "A lot of us are locked in with our staff at the moment," he said.

[22 March 2017 15:59 · GSTTnhs]

Staff and visitors at St Thomas' and Evelina London Hospitals are being advised to remain on site during the current security incident.

[22 March 2017 16:01 · luketomhanrahan]

Eyewitness Ismael Hassan tells me he saw a 4x4 zig zag up Westminster Bridge hit around 10 people. He was two metres from the car.

[22 March 2017 16:01 · HumzaYousaf]

Holyrood suspended out of respect for our sister Parliament and all that's going on in Westminster. Thoughts with all down the road

[22 March 2017 16:02 · Andrew Griffin]

Kathy Casatelli, 58, saw a car rammed into the front gates of the palace and a man being treated on the floor.She said: "We were coming up from the Tube and we walked out and there were officers there with their guns drawn."I saw this car that was smashed into the gate. It was a grey BMW, it looked like a nice car. The whole windshield was smashed."There was a man on the ground, it looked like he was moving. I don't know if he was the driver."Ms Casatelli, from Syracuse in the US and on holiday in London since Saturday, said she heard that someone had been wielding a knife.She said: "One of the officers was trying to him."He wasn't moving very much, I thought I saw him moving."I don't know if he was riding a bike and got hit. There was somebody with him and he was there with his hands on his head."I don't know if they were walking or biking and it hit them."Police extended the cordon back up Broad Sanctuary beyond Westminster Abbey to the junction with Victoria Street.Four police vans arrived at the scene at 3.40pm, as the air ambulance took off.

[22 March 2017 16:02 · Andrew Griffin]

In a statement Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "Reports suggest the ongoing incident in Westminster this afternoon is extremely serious."Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack, (their) families and friends."The police and security staff have taken swift action to ensure the safety of the public, MPs and staff, and we are grateful to them."

[22 March 2017 16:03 · Andrew Griffin]

[22 March 2017 16:04 · Lizzie Dearden]

These students from Edge Hill University were on a politics trip to the Houses of Paliament when they went out for a break & heard gunshots http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7iNeyxXwAE5kLN.jpg