An eye witness to the attack at Westminster in which a police officer was stabbed and the alleged assailant was shot by armed police has offered a harrowing account of how the event unfolded.
Four people, including the policeman and the attacker, have died and several people have suffered 'catastrophic' injuries after a car mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings close to Parliament on the way to the knife attack.
Witness Rick Longley told the Press Association: "We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out.
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The view from the scene of the incident...
Credit:Ruptly
"They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben.
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"A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman.
"I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw."
Lawmaker Adam Holloway told the AP he saw people running and immediately sprinted into his offices in Parliament to be with his staff. "A lot of us are locked in with our staff at the moment," he added.
And describing the incident on the bridge, witness Richard Tice said he 'counted between eight and 10 prostrate figures on the ground' after he came out of Westminster underground station and moved on to Westminster Bridge.
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Emergency personnel close to the Palace of Westminster, London. Credit: PA Images
Matt Haikin, from London, 44, said he was in shock after seeing the aftermath of the crash on the bridge.
He said: "I just saw a car that had clearly driven off the road into the fence outside Parliament.
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"As I went past I noticed there was a body next to it and quite a lot of blood and people standing around.
"Fairly shortly after I heard some shots, at which point it was clear it wasn't just an accident, something else was going on."
The following footage emerged of the aftermath of the attack...
Credit: Twitter
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He then moved to look through the Palace of Westminster gates and saw 'a lot of people, people in uniform, I think I saw a couple of bodies on the ground, I couldn't tell you if they'd been asked to lie down or if they were injured'.
Police have confirmed that they are responding to the attack as an on-going terrorist incident.
Speaking from their Twitter account, Metropolitan Police said: "We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise."
An Air Ambulance outside the Palace of Westminster, London. Credit: PA Images
Police have asked people to avoid the following areas in light of the events:
- Parliament Square
- Whitehall
- Westminster Bridge
- Lambeth Bridge
- Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway
- Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube
A number of counter terrorism officers are currently responding to the attack.
Downing Street has confirmed that British Prime Minister Theresa May was in Parliament when the attack happen but is now safe, and Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the police's request.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images