REVIEW - Car-Ramming Incident In London Investigated As Terror Attack

REVIEW - Car-Ramming Incident in London Investigated as Terror Attack

The UK police are treating the recent incident of a car ramming into a security barrier near the Houses of Parliament in London as a terror offense.

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2018) The UK police are treating the recent incident of a car ramming into a security barrier near the Houses of Parliament in London as a terror offense.

On Tuesday morning, a Ford Fiesta collided with several cyclists and pedestrians outside the Houses of Parliament before being deliberately driven into a security fence. The latest reports indicate that 10 people were injured in the incident.

As can be seen from the surveillance video published by media, the car took a sharp turn off the road and ploughed through passersby before hitting the security barriers. The vehicle was reportedly going at the speed of about 50 miles per hour.

The police confirmed after the incident that none of those injured were in a life-threatening condition. The Russian Embassy in London told Sputnik that there were no Russian citizens among those injured in the car crash.

The area was cordoned off, while the Houses of Parliament and neighboring Westminster Abbey, popular tourist spots, remain closed to visitors. Traffic was suspended on the roads leading to the parliament and the Buckingham Palace. The transport police deployed more officers to be on patrol throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

Shortly after the incident, the driver was detained. The Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Command took over the investigation.

According to Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, given that the incident had been a deliberate act taking place in a tourist spot, the investigators were treating it as terrorism.

No weapons were found in the car, Basu said, adding that the driver refused to cooperate with the investigation and was still unidentified.

WHAT REACTION IN LONDON AND BEYOND HAS BEEN

UK Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her support for those injured and thanked the emergency services "for their immediate and courageous response."

US President Donald Trump harshly condemned the incident and called for a thorough investigation.

"Another terrorist attack in London... These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Trump tweeted.

The incident did not scare tourists visiting London on Tuesday. Many of them heard of the car-ramming only upon arriving to Westminster and learning that the spot was closed over security concerns. Staff in local shops and cafes said there were no fewer visitors due to the incident.

"Yes, it is unsafe in London. But I think there is no danger now and we will go on sightseeing," a tourist from China told Sputnik.

WHAT SIMILAR INCIDENTS HAPPENED BEFORE

Last year, London witnessed a series of violent assaults when cars were deliberately driven to hit pedestrians. In March 2017, a man killed five people and injured 50 more ramming a car into a crowd on Westminster Bridge. In June, a van was deliberately driven into pedestrians on London Bridge. The attackers, who were later identified as the Islamic State (IS terror group, banned in Russia) terrorists, then left the vehicle and started stabbing people in the nearby Borough Market killing eight and injuring 48. A fortnight later, a van ploughed into people walking out of the Finsbury Park Mosque. One person died and 11 were injured in the attack.

The terror threat in the United Kingdom remains high.