London attack – as it happened: Theresa May raises threat level to critical as Isis claims responsibility
Soldiers to support police after 29 people are hurt in tube bombing at Parsons Green
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The UK's terrorist threat level has been raised to critical after London was hit by a new terror attack as commuters headed to work on the Tube.
An explosion at Parsons Green underground station in the west of the capital injured passengers and led to a "major incident" being declared. Yet more people were hurt during the crush to leave the train, witnesses said.
Images shared online appeared to showed a bucket with wires trailing from it smouldering inside a District Line train.
The device is being forensically examined while detectives are scouring CCTV and examining witness statements for potential leads.
Armed police, paramedics and firefighters were all called to the scene.
Witnesses described flames and a "fireball" following the incident at about 8.20am today.
Assistant Commander Mark Rowley, who is the UK's top counter-terrorism officer, said the force continues to "chase down suspects" in connection with the attack.
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International reaction
Overshadowed by events in London was a knife attack on a soldier on the Paris subway this morning. The assailant was arrested and no one was hurt.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe reacted to both events by saying they showed: “How much we collectively, in France, Britain and also in Germany, face a major threat."
He added "we must find answers at national level and all together ... to give our fellow citizens the greatest possible security," including intelligence cooperation.
Some other international reaction from today’s bombing:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel: "Our thoughts are of course with the wounded, our thoughts are with the British population."
Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy: “I want to express Spain’s solidarity with, and support for, the British people and authorities. I hope those injured make a swift recovery.”
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu: "We stand with PM (Theresa) May and the people of Britain in our common fight against the forces of terror."
New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo: “Our thoughts are with our friends in London this morning. Transit system security will be heightened today out of an abundance of caution.”
Breaking: NHS England have revised the number of injured people up to 29 from 22
Residents who live in the vicinity of Parsons Green are being escorted back to their homes by the police, according to a tweet from Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
However, a cordon remains in place around the tube station, and the public is still being urged to avoid the area.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley will be speaking to the media at 8.30pm.
Stay tuned for updates...
The UK's terror threat level has been raised from severe to critical, Theresa May has said.
The military will also be used to support armed police, who will be carrying out increased patrols, she added.
The move indicates the security services believe an attack is "expected imminently". The person or people responsible for today's attacks have not yet been apprehended.
Soldiers were last seconded to support the police following the suicide attack on the Manchester Arena in May. The terror threat level was also raised to critical following the bombing.
The UK's threat level has only been raised to 'critical' - the highest level - four times in the last 11 years.
The assessment is made by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, which is comprised of people from 16 government departments and agencies. They take a number of factors into account, including available intelligence, terrorist capability, terrorist intentions and timescale.
Just as the threat level has been raised, this has been tweeted by Shiraz Maher, a prominent expert on Isis and radicalisation:
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