UK Parliament attack: Five dead, 40 injured; Queen Elizabeth II postpones new Scotland Yard headquarters inauguration

Buckingham Palace officials said on Wednesday night that Queen Elizabeth II's visit, which had been set for Thursday, will be postponed.
Two policemen stand guard at a cordoned off area on the way to the Houses of Parliament in central London. (Photo | AP)
Two policemen stand guard at a cordoned off area on the way to the Houses of Parliament in central London. (Photo | AP)

LONDON (AP) — The latest on the attack outside Britain's Parliament (all times local):

4:10 a.m.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says the terrorist attack outside the British Parliament in London was the first subject of discussion when he met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia on Thursday morning in Canberra.

Li says that "together, we send our condolences to the prime minister of the U.K. and together we condemn terrorism and we stand against all forms of terrorism."

The Chinese leader says that "there cannot be continued instability in the world," adding: "We must cherish peace and stability."

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1:35 a.m.

New Zealand's prime minister is condemning the attack outside Britain's Parliament that resulted in five deaths, including the assailant.

Prime Minister Bill English told reporters in Rotorua that he has written to British Prime Minister Theresa May to express support for her government and to offer his country's condolences to the victim's families.

A knife-wielding man went on the deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Other officers fatally shot the attacker.

In addition to the dead, 40 people have injuries.

May has condemned the incident as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack."

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12:15 a.m.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry says five South Koreans in their 50s and 60s were among the 40 people injured in London during the terror attack outside Parliament.

The ministry says the five were hurt when they were caught up in a stampede of people trying to escape the attack.

It says four of the South Koreans suffered broken bones and other injuries and a woman in her late 60s needed an operation to treat a head injury.

10:20 p.m.

Buckingham Palace officials say Queen Elizabeth II will postpone plans to open the new Scotland Yard headquarters.

The palace said on Wednesday night that the queen's visit, which had been set for Thursday, will be postponed.

The change is due to security concerns raised by the terror attack on Parliament.

It is also expected that police will be involved with a major investigation that will occupy many officers.

The queen was to have been joined by her husband Prince Philip at the official opening of the new building.

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10:15 p.m.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the police presence at the Australian Parliament House has been increased in response to the London attacks.

"Australia's heartfelt sympathy and resolute solidarity is with the people of the United Kingdom with whom we stand today as we always have in freedom's cause. Staunch allies in the war against terrorism," Turnbull told reporters on Thursday.

"The attack on the British Parliament is an attack on parliaments, freedom and democracy everywhere," he added. 

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10:05 p.m.

The Eiffel Tower is going dark in mourning and solidarity with Britain after an attack around the British Parliament in which four people, including the attacker, were killed.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, whose city has suffered deadly extremist attacks in recent years, announced that the tower is turning off its twinkling lights at midnight (2300 GMT).

Three French teenagers on a school trip were among those injured in Wednesday's attack targeting pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge and a police officer on the nearby Parliament grounds.

French President Francois Hollande offered support for Britain and the investigation.

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9 p.m.

Prime Minister Theresa May has condemned the "sick and depraved terrorist attack" in London and says the targeting Parliament was no accident.

In a late-night statement outside her Downing Street office Wednesday, a defiant May said the nation will not give in to terror and those who targeted the seat of power in Britain.

She insisted that "tomorrow morning Parliament will meet as normal," and urged the country to move on and behave as normal on Thursday.

May says "we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart."

The prime minister confirmed that four people died in the attack and praised the security services who ran toward danger.

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8 p.m.

A French government plane is set to fly to London Wednesday evening to bring the families of three French students wounded in the attacks at the British Parliament to their loved ones.

French President Francois Hollande announced the move in a statement Wednesday night after speaking with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

May confirmed to Hollande that three French high school students from France's western Britanny region were wounded in the attacks, the statement said.

Hollande offered his condolences to May for those who died in the attacks and expressed France's solidarity with Britain "in this tragic ordeal."

"The British and French services are in close contact to conduct the investigation," Hollande added.

London is a common destination for French school trips.

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7:55 p.m.

Romania's foreign ministry says two Romanians were wounded in a deadly attack in London's Westminster that left four dead.

The ministry said the two had been taken to a hospital for treatment. There were no further details on the identity of the two or how seriously they were injured. The ministry said it had been informed by authorities in London.

A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage near the Parliament, mowing down pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing an armed police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the attacker. About 20 others were injured.

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7:20 p.m.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy condemned the deadly attack in London's Westminster on Wednesday and offered condolences to the British people in a telegram sent to his British counterpart Theresa May.

"An execrable terrorist act like the one that took place today is a reminder that we face complex challenges for the security of our societies," said Rajoy in a transcript of the telegram distributed by Moncloa, the prime minister's palace.

"We must remain united against these type of threats that affect all of us equally and that know no barriers," Rajoy wrote, offering Spain's support to the UK.

Israel, which that has faced a wave of Palestinian car ramming, stabbing and shooting assaults since 2015, also expressed solidarity with the victims of the London attack.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said in a statement. "Israel expresses its deep shock at the terror attack in London today and its solidarity with the victims and with the people and government of Great Britain. Terror is terror wherever it occurs and we will fight it relentlessly."

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6:50 p.m.

One British lawmaker was hailed by some as a hero in Wednesday's attack on the British Parliament.

Conservative parliamentarian and Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the police officer who was stabbed and later died. About 10 yards away was the attacker who was shot dead by police after scaling the security wall toward Parliament's grounds.

Ellwood, who served in the British military, applied pressure to the police officer's multiple lacerations.

Photographs showed Ellwood's bloodied hands and face from the police officer's wounds while the alleged attacker was seen nearby.

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6:20 p.m.

The White House is condemning the attacks in London involving a car rampage and knife attack. President Donald Trump is said to be monitoring developments.

Spokesman Sean Spicer said Wednesday Trump spoke with British Prime Minister Theresa May and said that the White House applauds "the quick response of British police and first responders" and condemns the attacks.

A vehicle mowed down pedestrians on a bridge and the attacker then stabbed a police officer outside the British Parliament. At least four people died, including the attacker and a police officer.

Spicer says that the city of London and the British government have the "full support" of the U.S. as they investigate the attack.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department says the security posture in the United States has not changed in the wake of the attack.

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6:15 p.m.

The Italian interior ministry says the nation's top security and intelligence officials will huddle in Rome on Thursday for "an evaluation of the terrorist threat" after the attacks in London.

The ministry said minister Marco Minniti convened the Committee of Strategic Anti-terrorism Analyses following "the tragic facts in London," in which a vehicle mowed down pedestrians on a bridge and the attacker then stabbed a police officer outside the British Parliament. At least four people died, including the attacker and a police officer.

Italian security was already on high alert for a European Union summit bringing EU nation leaders to Rome Friday for a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, and a ceremony in the Italian capital Saturday.

Authorities are bracing for possible violence during several marches Saturday, drawing thousands of both pro-and anti-EU participants.

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6:05 p.m.

The head of counterterrorism at London's Metropolitan Police, says four people have died in the terror incident in London, including an attacker and a police officer.

Mark Rowley says some 20 people have been wounded and Parliament was locked down. A search is underway to make certain no other attackers are in the area — though police believe there was only one attacker.

Rowley said the dead policeman was one of the armed officers who guard Parliament. The other victims were on Westminster Bridge.

Rowley says "We are satisfied at this stage that it looks like there was only one attacker. But it would be foolish to be overconfident early on."

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5:50 p.m.

French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have both expressed their support and solidarity with Britain after the attacks at the British Parliament in London.

"We are all concerned with terrorism," Hollande told reporters Wednesday during a visit in Villepinte, outside Paris. "France, which has been struck so hard lately, knows what the British people are suffering today."

Hollande added that countries "must bring all the conditions to answer these attacks" and that "it is clear that it is at the European level, and even beyond that, that we must organize ourselves."

French Interior Minister Matthias Fekl said "it is a high place of democracy that has been attacked" and that France is "obviously ready to help."

Merkel said in a statement Wednesday that she learned "with sorrow" of Wednesday's incident and her thoughts were "with our British friends and all of the people of London," in particular those who were injured.

While the circumstances of the attack were still unclear, "I want to say for Germany and its citizens: we stand firmly and resolutely by Great Britain's side in the fight against all forms of terrorism," she said.

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5:45 p.m.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has expressed sympathy to those injured and condolences to the relatives of those who died in the incident at Britain's parliament, and has underlined the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

"We don't split terrorism into categories; we consider it as absolute evil. At this moment, as always, our hearts are together with the British people, we feel their pain and speak again about the need to confront that evil," she said.

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5:40 p.m.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was absent from a "family photo" of officials attending a conference on the Islamic State group in Washington, D.C.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was also at the meeting, issued a statement offering his condolences to the victims.

"The American people send their thoughts and prayers to the people of the United Kingdom. We condemn these horrific acts of violence, and whether they were carried out by troubled individuals or by terrorists, the victims know no difference," he said.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. was ready to assist in any way.

"The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities. Our embassy in London is monitoring the situation closely," he added.

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5:30 p.m.

Three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph high school in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured, according to the French foreign ministry.

The ministry said it is in contact with British authorities.

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5:25 p.m.

French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve says that French high school students are among the wounded in the attack in London.

In a tweet Wednesday, Cazeneuve offered support to the British as well as to "the French students wounded, their families and their schoolmates."

London is a common destination for French school trips.

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5:15 p.m.

British port officials say they pulled a woman from the Thames River following the incident on Westminster Bridge.

The Port of London Authority says a female member of the public was recovered from the river, injured but alive.

The authority says it has closed the river between Vauxhall Bridge and Embankment while a major security operation is under way after a suspected terror attack at the Houses of Parliament in London.

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5:10 p.m.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the government emergency committee to discuss the response to the terror incident in London.

The emergency committee known as Cobra coordinates the high-level response to serious incidents. It brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies.

Such meetings are held after serious incidents such at the July 7, 2005, attack on London transport services.

The Wednesday meeting is held in the briefing room of the Cabinet Office on Whitehall.

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5 p.m.

The London Ambulance Service says it has treated at least 10 injured people on Westminster Bridge after a vehicle hit pedestrians.

It says the first ambulance arrived within six minutes of the first call at 2:40 p.m. (1440GMT).

Ambulances, an air ambulance and a Hazardous Area Response Team were all sent to the scene.

One woman has been confirmed dead, and a body was seen lying in the yard of Parliament, where a knifeman stabbed a police officer and was shot by police.

People began leaving the Houses of Parliament about two hours after the incident.

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4:50 p.m.

A senior police commander says the attack at London's Parliament has been declared a terrorist incident and "a full counterterrorism investigation is underway."

Commander B.J. Harrington says "a number" of people have been injured, including police officers.

He says additional police officers, armed and unarmed, will be deployed across London during the evening rush hour as part of efforts to keep people safe.

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4:35 p.m.

The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh suspended its debate on a second independence referendum after the incident outside the British Parliament in London.

Scottish lawmakers had been planning to vote after two days of debate on First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's call for another referendum on leaving the United Kingdom.

The debate was suspended after some members said it should be halted out of respect after a policeman was stabbed and his attacker shot in London.

Sturgeon tweeted that her thoughts were with everyone in Westminster "caught up in this dreadful incident."

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4:30 p.m.

A doctor says a woman has died and about a dozen people are hurt, some with "catastrophic" injuries, after a vehicle apparently hit pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, near Parliament.

Colleen Anderson of St Thomas' Hospital says a female pedestrian has died.

Anderson said: "There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries."

She said there might be a dozen injured in all.

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4:20 p.m.

Poland's former foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, says he was in a taxi leaving Westminster and was checking his email when he heard something like a car crash, "something like a car hitting metal sheet."

"I look up and I see that a person is lying on the pavement. I started my camera and I saw more people lying on the street and on the pavement," Sikorski said on Poland's TVN24.

"People started running up to them. I saw one person who gave no sign of life, another man was bleeding from his head. In all, I saw five people who were at least seriously injured," he said.

"The taxi driver immediately called the emergency number. I heard ambulances within two or three minutes, so the rescue action was really very quick. There is a hospital near there."

"It all happened so fast that there was no time to get scared," said Sikorski who posted his video on Twitter.

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4:05 p.m.

The U.S. State Department says it is closely monitoring the incident outside London's Parliament and urged Americans in London to avoid the area.

Spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday: "We stand ready to assist in any way the U.K. authorities would find helpful."

He added that the U.S. Embassy in London is closely following the news and stands ready to help any affected Americans.

He said: "Our hearts go out to those affected."

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