UK capital shaken by terror attack

  • Shots ring out: in the early afternoon multiple shots followed by screaming were reported outside London's Houses of Parliaments. Authorities rushed to the scene as the House of Commons went into lockdown. The first reports came in from political reporters barred from leaving the premises
  • Injuries on Westminster Bridge: a male attacker first ran down pedestrians with an SUV on Westminster Bridge, an area highly frequented by tourists. The vehicle then rammed into a gate near Big Ben
  • Police cordon off the area: the knife-wielding assailant then fatally stabbed a police officer on Parliament's grounds. The attacker was subsequently shot and killed while authorities secured the area around the Palace of Westminster
  • An attack in the heart of downtown London: Transport for London, greater London's public transport authority, diverted buses in the area of the attacks. People working in the area sought alternative routes home as traffic remained blocked at the end of the work day on Wednesday
  • International leaders react: international leaders offered their condolences following the attack. German Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirmed Germany's support for the UK "in the struggle against all forms of terrorism." The Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also expressed her sympathies as the Scottish Parliament cancelled a debate on a second independence referendum
  • Emergency response blankets the area: individuals present in the affected area described sirens blaring and the drone of helicopters overhead. British media reported "catastrophic injuries" while police confirmed four individuals had been killed. Another 29 people were being treated in hospital for their injuries – seven of them were critically wounded
  • Police raid homes in Birmingham and London: a few hours after the attack, police made eight arrests after conducting armed raids on six homes in London and the central city of Birmingham (pictured above). The raids were part of an investigation into the Westminster attacker
  • Attacker 'acted alone': Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley told reporters that he believed the assailant "acted alone" and that he was "inspired by international terrorism." Prime Minister Theresa May later said the attacker was British-born and was known to authorities
  • 'IS' claims attack: the militant "Islamic State" (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack later on Thursday, saying the attacker was one of its "soldiers," according to the IS Aamaq news agency. It was not immediately clear whether the attacker was directly connected to the group
  • Normality is 'greatest response to terror': Prime Minister May hailed the millions of people in London who went about their lives the day after the attack. "It is in these actions – millions of acts of normality – that we find the best response to terrorism," she said. The city will hold a candlelight vigil for the victims on Thursday evening