Suspect kills 4, injures 40 in London, is shot dead – ABC News

Four people were killed, including a police officer, and at least 40 other people were injured in an attack in London that authorities have declared a terrorist incident. A man believed to be the attacker was also killed, shot by police at the scene.

PHOTO: A woman assists an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017.Toby Melville/Reuters
A woman assists an injured person after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017.

PHOTO: Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017.Toby Melville/Reuters
Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London, March 22, 2017.

The attack began when a driver struck pedestrians and three police officers on Westminster Bridge, London’s Metropolitan Police said.

Witness Richard Tice told ABC News that he saw injured people on the pavement. According to him, the car jumped the curb, knocking over pedestrians.

PHOTO: Emergency services workers respond to the scene of an incident near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament in London on March 22, 2017.APTN
Emergency services workers respond to the scene of an incident near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament in London on March 22, 2017.

The car then crashed into the fence around the Houses of Parliament, and a man armed with a knife attacked an officer who was guarding Parliament, police said.

PHOTO: A body is covered by a sheet outside the Houses of Parliament, London, March 22, 2017.Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP
A body is covered by a sheet outside the Houses of Parliament, London, March 22, 2017.

PHOTO: Emergency services attend to injured people after an incident outside the Palace of Westminster in London, March 22, 2017.Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP
Emergency services attend to injured people after an incident outside the Palace of Westminster in London, March 22, 2017.

The suspect, who authorities believe acted alone, was shot and killed by police. In a press conference Wednesday evening, Metropolitan Police acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley said the suspect tried to enter Parliament but was stopped “very close to the gate.”

The officer who died, identified as 48-year-old Keith Palmer, was not armed, he added. Palmer, a husband and father, served for 15 years with the Metropolitan Police, Rowley said.

PHOTO: An undated handout picture released by the British Metropolitan Police shows PC Keith Palmer who was killed during the terror incident at the Houses of Parliament in London on March 22, 2017.Metropolitan Police/AFP/Getty Images
An undated handout picture released by the British Metropolitan Police shows PC Keith Palmer who was killed during the terror incident at the Houses of Parliament in London on March 22, 2017.

Police believe that the attack was “inspired by international terrorism” and that they know the attacker’s identity, but Rowley did not give further details. Authorities are also looking at the suspect’s possible associates.

As police swarmed the area, Tom Peck, a British journalist, told ABC News from his office in London that he heard a bang, lots of screaming and then several gunshots.

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SLIDESHOW: PHOTOS: Attack near Parliament in London

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Authorities said they received different reports today of a person in the River Thames, a car that collided with pedestrians and a man armed with a knife.

A seriously injured woman was pulled from the Thames and was receiving medical treatment, an official with the Port of London Authority told ABC News.

Three French high school students were also among the injured, according to French officials.

PHOTO: Conservative Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood, center, helps emergency services attend to an injured person outside the Houses of Parliament, London, March 22, 2017.Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP
Conservative Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood, center, helps emergency services attend to an injured person outside the Houses of Parliament, London, March 22, 2017.

Tobias Ellwood, a member of Parliament, was seen giving first aid to a victim.

Rowley said earlier in the day, “This is a day we plan for but hope it will never happen. Sadly, it is now a reality.”

“We will continue to do all we can to protect the people of London,” he added.

PHOTO: Police secure the area on the south side of Westminster Bridge close to the Houses of Parliament in London, March 22, 2017.Matt Dunham/AP Photo
Police secure the area on the south side of Westminster Bridge close to the Houses of Parliament in London, March 22, 2017.

The Parliament building had been on lockdown after the attack, and hundreds of people have since left.

The House of Commons and the House of Lords will resume normal operations on Thursday.

“Business must return to normal as quickly as possible,” Rowley said Wednesday evening.

PHOTO: MPs in House of Commons, London after a major security alert at the Palace of Westminster in London, March 22, 2017.PA via AP
MP’s in House of Commons, London after a major security alert at the Palace of Westminster in London, March 22, 2017.

PHOTO: A police officer is led away by a colleague at the scene of an incident outside the Palace of Westminster, London, March 22, 2017.Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP
A police officer is led away by a colleague at the scene of an incident outside the Palace of Westminster, London, March 22, 2017.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as “appalling” and “sick and depraved” in a press conference Wednesday evening.

She said the location chosen for the attack was “no accident” and that Britain’s threat level will remain at severe, where it has been for some time.

“The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech,” she said.

She continued, “These streets of Westminster, home to the world’s oldest Parliament, are ingrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our Parliament represents — democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law — command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere.”

May offered prayers for the victims and their families and commended the bravery of authorities during the attack “who risk[ed] their lives to keep us safe.”

“Once again today, these exceptional men and women ran towards the danger even as they encouraged others to move the other way,” she said.

PHOTO: A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London.Carl Court/Getty Images
A member of the public is treated by emergency services near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament on March 22, 2017 in London.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement, “There will be additional armed and unarmed police officers on our streets from tonight in order to keep Londoners and all those visiting our city safe.”

“I want to reassure all Londoners and all our visitors not to be alarmed. Our city remains one of the safest in the world,” he said. “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 went on, “My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to everyone who’s been affected. Tragically, a Metropolitan Police officer who was doing his duty protecting our city is amongst those who have been killed, and my thoughts are with his family this evening. I want to express my gratitude, on behalf of all Londoners, to the police and emergency services who’ve shown tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances.”

PHOTO: Armed police officers enter the Houses of Parliament in London, March 23, 2017 after the House of Commons sitting was suspended as witnesses reported sounds like gunfire outside.Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo
Armed police officers enter the Houses of Parliament in London, March 23, 2017 after the House of Commons sitting was suspended as witnesses reported sounds like gunfire outside.

Police said a flag with the Metropolitan Police emblem is being flown at half-staff over Scotland Yard in honor of the victims.

Taylor Davis of the U.S. was at the top of the London Eye at the time of the incident.

“We saw a lot of commotion, ambulances, policemen. We kind of thought it was a car accident at first, then a bunch of black detective cars came in a line. That’s kind of when we knew it was more serious than that,” Davis told ABC News. “It was just surreal how lucky we felt. We felt very safe up there and just being in the right place at the right time.”

PHOTO: People are seen inside the pods of the London Eye opposite the Houses of Parliament after an incident in central London on March 22, 2017.Niklas Hallen/AFP/Getty Images
People are seen inside the pods of the London Eye opposite the Houses of Parliament after an incident in central London on March 22, 2017.

Anyone with videos or images of the incident is asked to turn them over to police.

PHOTO: A police officer tapes off Parliament Square after reports of loud bangs, in London, Britain, March 22, 2017.Stefan Wermuth/Reuters
A police officer tapes off Parliament Square after reports of loud bangs, in London, Britain, March 22, 2017.

President Trump tweeted Wednesday night, “Spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May today to offer condolences on the terrorist attack in London. She is strong and doing very well.”

And U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement, “I express my condolences to the victims and their families. 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.”

ABC News’ Kelley Robinson and Kirit Radia contributed to this report.

Suspect kills 4, injures 40 in London, is shot dead – ABC News