Five people have been confirmed dead, and over 40 have been injured in an attack in Westminster. The carnage followed after an attacker drove a car along a pavement within the area and stabbed a member of British law enforcement outside the country’s political grounds.
The deceased police officer has been identified as PC Keith Palmer. Palmer, aged 48, leaves behind his wife and children in the wake of his death.
In a statement to the press following the attack, Prime Minister Theresa May described the assailant’s actions as “sick and depraved.” She went on to say the attack struck at the British people’s values of liberty, democracy and was against freedom of speech.
Police are yet to name the perpetrator of the assault. Concerning continuing investigations, Mark Rowley said members of law enforcement believe they know who the assailant is. He also said that the police think international and Islamist-related terrorism inspired the perpetrator’s actions. However, he did not divulge further information. Mr. Rowley is the Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of Counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police.
The attack occurred at around 14:40 GMT on the 22nd of this month. At this time, the perpetrator drove a gray Hyundai i40 along a pavement over the Westminster Bridge at a location near the Houses of Parliament. His afternoon drive caused the death of three people and the injury of numerous others. Soon after, the car crashed into railings outside the British Parliament.
Afterward, the assailant ran towards the parliamentary buildings armed with a knife. The police confronted the man, and it was this time that PC Palmer was stabbed and eventually killed. At the time, Palmer was unarmed. Officers shot the man dead soon after.
Mr. Rowley praised the late Palmer and expressed his sorrow towards the attack cutting off the police officer from his family. He said, “He was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen.”
A former colleague of Palmer, Conservative MP James Cleverly, also paid tribute to the man he described as “lovely”. He said he was “heartbroken” over the death of the man he had known for 25 years. The two had served in the Royal Artillery before Palmer began his service as a policeman.
Foreign Minister Tobias Elwood attempted to bring the officer back to life via mouth to mouth resuscitation. However, Palmer was confirmed dead soon after the attack ended.
Apart from Palmer, one of the other people who died from the terrorist attack is a woman who got hit by the car being driven along the pavement. Suffering various injuries, she was rushed to a hospital where she was confirmed dead on arrival. 13 students from Edge Hill University and three French school children were also injured in the attack.
Mayor Sadiq Khan expressed courage in dealing with the situation. In a statement to the press, he said, “My message to those that want to harm us and destroy our way of life is: You won’t succeed; you won’t divide us; we won’t be cowed by terrorists.”
In the wake of the attack, the Westminster underground station remains closed apart from for interchange purposes. So far, seven people have been arrested in relation to the assault.
