UK parliament attack: London won’t be cowed by terrorism, says mayor Sadiq Khan

Five people were killed and at least 40 injuredafter a man drove his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before attacking a policeman close to the British Parliament in what police termed as a terror attack.

The people of London will never be cowed by terrorism, mayor Sadiq Khan said, following an attack near the British parliament on Wednesday.

Armed police officers stand guard outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 23, 2017 after the House of Commons sitting was suspended as witnesses reported sounds like gunfire outside. (AP Photo)

Insisting that London remained one of the safest cities in the world, Khan said: “I want to reassure all Londoners and all our visitors not to be alarmed…London is the greatest city in the world and we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have, and we always will”.

“Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism,” he added.

Five people were killed and at least 40 injured after a man drove his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before attacking a policeman close to the British Parliament in what police termed as a terror attack.

Scotland Yard said it knew the identity of the attacker and were keen to ensure that Britain’s Muslim communities were safe from extreme right wing groups.

Mark Rowley, who leads counter-policing in Scotland Yard, linked the attack to Islamist-related international terrorism, but refused to reveal details. He said officers were working forensically to identify the attacker’s associates.

“I will not comment at this stage on the identity of the attacker, but our working assumption is that he was inspired by international terrorism”, he said, and asked people to remain vigilant to attempts to create discord among communities.

“Terrorists have a clear aim and that is to create discord, distrust and to create fear. The police stand with all communities in the UK and will take action against anyone who seeks to undermine society, especially where their crimes are motivated by hate”.

“We must recognise now that our Muslim communities will feel anxious at this time given the past behaviour of the extreme right wing and we will continue to work with all community leaders in the coming days”.

“It’s essential for us to remain vigilant but to also work together – policing and communities – and unite against those who seek, through violence and extremism, to threaten, intimidate and cause fear”, Rowley added.