UPDATE: A terror suspect arrested after a car crashed into a barrier at the Houses of Parliament at high speed is not believed to be known to the security services, police have said.
At least three people were injured when the silver Ford Fiesta hit a group of cyclists and pedestrians waiting for traffic lights to change. Rooftop camera footage shows the car mounting a pavement on the wrong side of the road before, witnesses said, it travelled at up to 50mph for around 40 metres (130ft) and hit a bollard.
Scotland Yard said a man in his late 20s was arrested after the incident at around 7.30am on Tuesday. The suspect was taken to a south London police station, where he remains on suspicion of terrorism offences. He is not co-operating with officers.
Meanwhile, as Theresa May warned of the “severe” threat facing Britain, new figures showed a huge spike in terrorism investigations, with the number of live cases of suspected plots rising from more than 500 in March to 676 by the end of June.
The Met’s counter-terrorism command is leading the investigation into the latest attack. Officers are seeking to formally identify the suspect, but “don’t believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter-terrorism police”.
The suspect is reported to be from the Midlands and it is believed that he might have travelled to London from Birmingham. The Telegraph
Earlier:
A number of pedestrians have been injured after a car crashed into security barriers outside Parliament. A man has been arrested after the vehicle drove into security barriers, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.
Sky News reports that according to Vincent McAvinney, the police radio reported the incident would be treated as “counter-terror” while the Guardian said that “it was unclear if the incident was terror related.”
The Guardian reports officers could be seen surrounding the car before leading a man away in handcuffs. A number of ambulances arrived at the scene.
“A statement from Scotland Yard said: “At 0737 hours today, a car was in collision with barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The male driver of the car was detained by officers at the scene. A number of pedestrians have been injured. Officers remain at the scene. We will issue further info when we have it.”
BBC reports that the streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens have been cordoned off.
There are reportedly “dozens” of armed police on the scene. Armed police were seen leading the driver away in handcuffs, and a number of ambulances are at the scene.
