Car crash outside UK Parliament a possible terror act, say police

Two people were injured after a car collided with security barriers outside London’s parliament building on Tuesday and a man who drove the vehicle was arrested.

Scotland Yard on Tuesday said its counter-terrorism command was investigating a morning incident in which a man drove his car into the barricades outside the houses of parliament in Westminster, injuring pedestrians and cyclists.

Police officers stand at a cordon after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, Britain, on Tuesday. (Reuters photo)

“At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation”, the police said.

Driving vehicles into pedestrians had been a feature of terror attacks in London in 2017.

Parliament is not in session during summer holidays, but the area is a popular destination among tourists and visitors.

A statement by police said: “At 07:37hrs on Tuesday 14 August, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament”.

“The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers. He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody.”

Some of the injured were taken to hospitals but their injuries were not considered to be life-threatening. The Westminster tube station was closed, as the police threw a security cordon around the area.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with those injured in an incident outside parliament.