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Updated 12.35pm
THE ISLAMIC STATE group has claimed responsibility for the terror attack that occurred in central London yesterday, according to the Amaq agency that is linked with the jihadist organisation.
“The perpetrator of yesterday’s attack in front of the British parliament was a soldier of the Islamic State and the operation was carried out in response to calls to target coalition countries,” Amaq said citing a “security source”.
In the wake of yesterday’s terror attack in Westminster, London, armed police conducted a raid at a flat in the city of Birmingham overnight that is believed to be linked with the attack which saw four people killed and 40 injured.
Dozens of officers conducted the operation outside a property in Hagley Road, and several roads in the immediate area were closed, reports Sky News.
Britain’s top counter-terrorism officer Mark Rowley confirmed that six addresses in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country had been searched and seven arrests had been made.
“It is still our belief that this attacker acted alone, and was inspired by international terrorism,” he said.
Rowley said the four victims included a policeman guarding parliament and three members of the public. One of the dead includes the attacker who was shot dead by police.
Seven people are still described as being in a critical condition in hospital. 29 people in total remain in hospital.
Speaking several hours after the attack, British Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as “sick and depraved”.
After an emergency meeting of her cabinet, May said Britain’s terror alert level would remain unchanged at its highest level.
She added: “We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.”
Defiance
Britain’s parliament reopened today with a minute’s silence in memory of three people killed in the attack on the symbol of the country’s democracy.
With MPs projecting an air of “business as usual,” armed police arrested eight people in raids linked to yesterday’s deadly assault carried out in the shadow of Big Ben that sowed panic in the heart of London.
As MPs resumed business, police officers lined up outside their Scotland Yard headquarters nearby for a minute’s silence in front of the eternal flame to those officers who have given their lives in service.
A packed parliament paid tribute, heads bowed.
“We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism,” said a defiant May.
The attack in London came a year to the day after Islamic State jihadists killed 32 people in twin bomb attacks in Brussels.
With reporting from Sean Murray and AFP
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Such a sad accident.
Very very sad for those families and it so close to christmas. R.I.P
will be hard for the driver to deal with killing those people and christmas will never be the same for him or the other family. such a tragic accident.
They believe the driver had a heart attack
Did he die? Bet he wishes he did which is understandable. But end of the day it was a horrible accident
It’s just sad, my heart goes out to the families and friends of the victims of this terrible accident, maybe if something like the dead man’s switch in trains could be installed in trucks, that could prevent something like that happen again
Two generations of a family wiped out within a matter of seconds . Bless them and there family’s
Tragic. It’s been a bad few weeks for the world. Awful stuff.
True Trevor…least not forget the many people killed in ‘warzones’ where western forces are at play but are not reported by the mainstream media too
God.lve them all…thoughts and prayers with everyone..
Surely in a busy shopping centre CCTV cameras were
in operation,it seems to have happened so quickly.
Reported that lorry was travelling up to 50mph in a busy
packed area,seems unbelievable a bit like the helicopter
crashing into the pub last year.
Paranoid much?
If the driver had a heart attack, which I understand he did, then his foot could have easily pressed the accelerator, so briefly traveling at 50mph until crashing is not an unlikely scenario.
Terrible tragedy. RIP.
Given the speed at which lorries accelerate, the way they are geared and the fact he was in a built up are I’d find 50mph highly unbelievable. Chances are he was doing a little over the speed limit by the time he mounted the path. A tragic accident and nothing could have prevented it unfortunately!
God.lve them all…thoughts and prayers with everyone..
Too sad, for everyone affected my heart goes out to you.
God.lve them all…thoughts and prayers with everyone..
I’m at a loss as to why anyone on here conveying their sadness and condolences to those who lost their lives would be red thumbed, a lot of sick f**ers on this site. Anyway we should be used to some of the clowns on here at this stage, but it still beggars belief. May those who lost their loves rest in peace, and god give strength to their loved ones left behind.
Ffs
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