:00:00. > :00:00.Terror on the streets of London - this evening additional armed
:00:00. > :00:08.officers are deployed around the capital.
:00:09. > :00:10.We now, of course, have an ongoing operation and while we believe
:00:11. > :00:14.there was just one attacker I'm sure the public will understand us taking
:00:15. > :00:24.every precaution and locking down the area as thoroughly as possible.
:00:25. > :00:26.Also tonight: From Parliament Square to Victoria Embankment,
:00:27. > :00:29.people are told to avoid these key areas around the city.
:00:30. > :00:31.Bloodied and bowed - we speak to one eyewitness
:00:32. > :00:34.who was there and saw the attack unfold from outside
:00:35. > :00:52.I hear bang, bang, twice. No more, twice. I said to myself, oh, dear,
:00:53. > :00:58.this accident. First person to arrive in that incident is me. I see
:00:59. > :01:03.man lying in the floor, front of Parliament door, actually. It is
:01:04. > :01:10.full of blood. Good evening and welcome
:01:11. > :01:12.to the programme. I'm Alex Bushill.
:01:13. > :01:14.Londoners are once more facing a major security incident
:01:15. > :01:25.in the capital. Armed police remain on the streets
:01:26. > :01:28.and people are told to avoid certain areas of the city after a police
:01:29. > :01:31.officer was stabbed in the grounds The attacker has been shot and
:01:32. > :01:39.killed. Several people were also injured
:01:40. > :01:41.by a vehicle on Westminster Bridge. Our home affairs correspondent
:01:42. > :01:44.Nick Beake is at New Scotland Yard, where police have been updating us
:01:45. > :01:54.on the situation. Details are still emerging, what is
:01:55. > :01:58.the very latest? Alex, this is the day that London had planned for but
:01:59. > :02:04.hoped it would never see. We know what city has been a price target
:02:05. > :02:08.for those who would do as ill. The security services have said they
:02:09. > :02:11.have worked tirelessly to prevent an attack, but today someone got
:02:12. > :02:16.through, with deadly consequences. Let me tell you where you are, this
:02:17. > :02:21.is the cord and at the Palace of Westminster, as far as we can get,
:02:22. > :02:29.you can see Big Ben illuminated and, crucially, armed police remaining in
:02:30. > :02:32.place. Westminster Bridge is to the right, that is still sealed. We can
:02:33. > :02:36.take you through the events as far as we know them, at around 2:40pm a
:02:37. > :02:40.car drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and crashed into
:02:41. > :02:44.railings. Among those there were some French schoolchildren on a trip
:02:45. > :02:49.and three police officers coming back from a commendation ceremony.
:02:50. > :02:52.It seems two people were killed on Westminster Bridge. Moments later
:02:53. > :02:57.around the corner, an attacker stabbed a police officer within the
:02:58. > :03:01.grounds of the Houses of Parliament. That police officer was killed, we
:03:02. > :03:06.later found out. We also discover that one of his colleagues had shot
:03:07. > :03:12.dead the assailant. The country's top counterterror police officer
:03:13. > :03:22.Mark Rowley updated us a short time ago. As you know, we have declared
:03:23. > :03:24.this terrorism incident and the counterterrorism command are
:03:25. > :03:28.carrying out a full investigation. The attack started when a car was
:03:29. > :03:31.driven over Westminster Bridge, hating and injuring a number of
:03:32. > :03:36.members of the public including three police officers on their way
:03:37. > :03:40.back from a commendation ceremony -- hitting and injuring. A car crash
:03:41. > :03:44.near Parliament and at least one man, armed with a knife, continued
:03:45. > :03:49.the attack and try to enter parliament. Sadly I can confirm that
:03:50. > :03:53.four people have died, including the police officer protecting Parliament
:03:54. > :03:58.and one man we believe to be the attacker, who was shot by a police
:03:59. > :04:06.firearms officer. The officer's family have been made aware. At
:04:07. > :04:10.least 20 people have been injured. As part of long established and well
:04:11. > :04:15.rehearsed plans, Parliament has been locked down and the Met responded
:04:16. > :04:18.with plans for a marauding terrorist attack, including uniformed and
:04:19. > :04:23.specialist firearms officers. My thoughts are with all those affected
:04:24. > :04:27.by today's attacks, as a service we have lost one of road as he acted to
:04:28. > :04:30.protect the public and his colleagues. This is the day we
:04:31. > :04:36.planned for but would hope would never happen. Sadly it is a reality.
:04:37. > :04:42.We will continue to do all we can to protect the people of London.
:04:43. > :04:45.Much of Westminster has been unlocked down this afternoon and the
:04:46. > :04:50.consequences of what happened remain because there are a number of road
:04:51. > :04:55.closures and disruption. We can see where they are, Parliament Square,
:04:56. > :05:00.Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street all
:05:01. > :05:04.the way to the junction with Broadway, Victoria Embankment up to
:05:05. > :05:08.Embankment tube station, an area which remains closed off while
:05:09. > :05:13.police continue their investigations. What happens now? We
:05:14. > :05:20.have lost the light in the last half hour or so, Scotland Yard just over
:05:21. > :05:23.the way has lost one of their own, and focus will be on Scotland Yard
:05:24. > :05:26.and their investigation, which will be under way. The counterterrorism
:05:27. > :05:31.command are leading this. Tomorrow was meant to be a joyous day for the
:05:32. > :05:35.Metropolitan Police, the Queen was supposed to be opening venue
:05:36. > :05:39.promises, they have only been every couple of months, but it takes on a
:05:40. > :05:44.complete the different dynamic -- supposed to be opening their
:05:45. > :05:47.premises. Four people have died, including a police officer, and this
:05:48. > :05:52.investigation is under way. Thank you.
:05:53. > :05:58.Police have appealed for anyone with mobile phone footage or who
:05:59. > :06:02.witnessed what happened to contact them. Gareth Berg -- Gareth Kirby
:06:03. > :06:07.spoke to one eyewitness. The roads by Parliament are normally
:06:08. > :06:10.crowded with Londoners and tourists and hundreds today will have seen
:06:11. > :06:18.something they never wanted to witness. Londoners like this man, a
:06:19. > :06:23.kitchen porter from Edmonton. I hear bang, bang twice, no more. Twice.
:06:24. > :06:26.Kabasele was in Parliament Square to meet a friend but believes he heard
:06:27. > :06:32.shots and then witnessed the consequences.
:06:33. > :06:37.The first person to arrive in that incident is me. I see man lying in
:06:38. > :06:44.the floor, friends of Parliament door, actually, it was full of
:06:45. > :06:50.blood. -- in front of Parliament door. I said to myself this was not
:06:51. > :06:56.an accident, because I see a man, blood coming from one place, his
:06:57. > :06:58.head. Others not so close but impacted in some way, several
:06:59. > :07:06.servants at the Treasury here leaving work early after these
:07:07. > :07:10.events. And also affected, a management consultant from Denmark
:07:11. > :07:15.who had come to London for a conference. Her day was suddenly
:07:16. > :07:19.interrupted. We saw the police came out and they were kind of scared, we
:07:20. > :07:24.could see the police cars were running fast and pushing people away
:07:25. > :07:30.and we saw more police coming in with weapons, a helicopter landed on
:07:31. > :07:35.the grass in front of the building. I am OK even though I am shocked.
:07:36. > :07:44.A shocking day for those close to the scene, one they will not forget.
:07:45. > :07:46.If you have any footage, police ask you to send it to the address on
:07:47. > :08:00.screen. That addresses
:08:01. > :08:06.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk. The current threat level in the UK
:08:07. > :08:08.for an international terrorist attack is severe,
:08:09. > :08:10.which means an attack has been highly likely
:08:11. > :08:13.for two and a half years. So, keeping London safe has long
:08:14. > :08:16.been a key priority of mayors and police chiefs alike,
:08:17. > :08:18.as our political correspondent Just four days into his new job
:08:19. > :08:21.as mayor and Sadiq Khan, like other city leaders before him,
:08:22. > :08:25.was seeing how the Met Police train Since August 2014, the capital,
:08:26. > :08:29.and the country have been An alert warning that
:08:30. > :08:35.an attack is highly likely. I've met with a commissioner on two
:08:36. > :08:40.occasions already to reassure myself as the Mayor of London that we are
:08:41. > :08:41.ready for, God forbid, a terrorist incident here in London.
:08:42. > :08:44.Within days he'd ordered a review of how well London was prepared
:08:45. > :08:48.Asking this man, Lord Harris, to check that we were up to the job.
:08:49. > :08:57.What we want to try and do is see, given the way in which the terrorist
:08:58. > :08:58.threat changes very rapidly, how the services are responding to those
:08:59. > :08:59.changing threat. Among his recommendations that
:09:00. > :09:01.more bollards are put outside public buildings,
:09:02. > :09:03.like the ones installed outside But also a recommendation of more
:09:04. > :09:08.armed response officers in London. In August last year the Met
:09:09. > :09:22.announced it was recruiting This is a reasonable response, it is
:09:23. > :09:24.not giving every police opposite in Britain a gun, not even everybody in
:09:25. > :09:26.the Met a gun. A controversial show of force
:09:27. > :09:29.for the announcement, perhaps, but it appears this unit may have
:09:30. > :09:31.been deployed today. That van they are in front
:09:32. > :09:33.of, clearly visible on Westminster Bridge
:09:34. > :09:37.after the attack this afternoon. London, of course, has been on high
:09:38. > :09:40.alert since the events of 7/7 when 52 innocent people were killed
:09:41. > :09:42.after terrorist attacks As the terror threat has developed,
:09:43. > :09:52.so have the warnings from senior If you hear gunshots, the best
:09:53. > :09:57.option is to evacuate. Two years ago, this video warning
:09:58. > :09:59.people how to behave if there was a terrorist attack
:10:00. > :10:07.at work was put out by police. You can watch this, it is four
:10:08. > :10:08.minutes long and it is practical, common-sense.
:10:09. > :10:11.It has been part of a message of vigilance put out by senior
:10:12. > :10:19.I think anyone seeing the intelligence we are seeing on a
:10:20. > :10:23.daily basis would be concerned. I think if you look at it alongside
:10:24. > :10:28.the capabilities we have today, there is no cause to be frightened,
:10:29. > :10:32.but people would be concerned. The reach of people overseas trying to
:10:33. > :10:33.influence people in the UK to commit attacks is significant.
:10:34. > :10:36.They have warned it was a matter of when, not if,
:10:37. > :10:44.Today it appears they've been proved right.
:10:45. > :10:47.You will have seen Lord Harris in that piece.
:10:48. > :10:50.Well, just a few months ago Lord Harris wrote a comprehensive
:10:51. > :10:52.report on the terror threat to the capital and how
:10:53. > :10:56.That was at the request of the Mayor of London.
:10:57. > :10:59.We can speak to Lord Harris now on the phone from Westminster,
:11:00. > :11:01.where he has been in lock down all day.
:11:02. > :11:04.First of all just tell me what's happening where you are.
:11:05. > :11:13.I am in the room that I was another four hours ago when the attack
:11:14. > :11:17.actually took place. Particularly when we heard bangs outside and
:11:18. > :11:24.shouting, because we're just in a that overlooks where I think the
:11:25. > :11:30.alleged perpetrator was shot, we barricaded ourselves in with desks
:11:31. > :11:36.and chairs and we have been waiting advice as to when it is safe to
:11:37. > :11:42.leave, which is yet to arrive. Obviously there are seven of this
:11:43. > :11:45.year, we are all deeply shocked. Obviously our thoughts are with the
:11:46. > :11:51.police officer's family and the family of those -- families of those
:11:52. > :11:55.who have been killed as part of this attack on Westminster Bridge, but
:11:56. > :12:02.the reality is that having looked at this in detail, only a few months
:12:03. > :12:08.ago, this was something that clearly we have to expecting some form. I'm
:12:09. > :12:12.pleased that it looks as though all the emergency and contingency
:12:13. > :12:16.measures seem to have clicked into place in the way that you would
:12:17. > :12:21.expect. We will unpick some of your thoughts about how prepared we work,
:12:22. > :12:25.but are you hearing any more about the current situation? Police are
:12:26. > :12:30.clear they think there was only one attacker but you are currently still
:12:31. > :12:32.in lockdown? I think they are following the procedure that she
:12:33. > :12:38.would expect them to follow which is until you can establish definitely
:12:39. > :12:41.that there is not an attacker, you have to assume there might be
:12:42. > :12:47.somebody there, which is why we have been told that when we are moved we
:12:48. > :12:53.will be moved essentially under escort through what is declared as a
:12:54. > :12:59.safe zone. The Palace of Westminster is an absolute rabbit warren of
:13:00. > :13:03.nooks and crannies and clearly the fear is, I think it is probably
:13:04. > :13:07.unlikely but it has to be taken seriously, that there is simply
:13:08. > :13:11.still hiding in the premises or, worse, somebody on the loose running
:13:12. > :13:15.around London. That is why police are taking these precautions and why
:13:16. > :13:19.they would be wanting to be absolutely satisfied that they have
:13:20. > :13:24.covered that all before they allow the normal movement to take place.
:13:25. > :13:27.Lord Harris, given your expertise and your review, one of your
:13:28. > :13:31.recommendations was extreme use of temporary barriers and more
:13:32. > :13:36.preparatory nurse for an attack on the Thames, we understand the attack
:13:37. > :13:42.started on Westminster Bridge. What is your assessment of how we coped?
:13:43. > :13:48.I think the immediate thing is that the response times... I are watching
:13:49. > :13:52.news media in this very small room we have been in with colleagues, it
:13:53. > :13:58.looks as if the emergency response was extremely rapid, external armed
:13:59. > :14:04.officers were on the scene very quickly, the Ambulance Service, all
:14:05. > :14:09.of that moving very rapidly, the air ambulance deployed. It all looks
:14:10. > :14:12.like it worked well, there will be a debrief under review afterwards,
:14:13. > :14:16.obviously. Could this have been prevented? One of the issues I
:14:17. > :14:21.looked at in my report was about vehicle borne attacks, I recommended
:14:22. > :14:24.increased use of bollards. There are some areas in London which are well
:14:25. > :14:31.protected by that but Westminster Bridge, those of you who know it, it
:14:32. > :14:34.is incredibly crowded most of the time and it is just a
:14:35. > :14:40.straightforward pavement, so somebody could try out of the
:14:41. > :14:43.traffic and into pedestrians, that looks as though that is what
:14:44. > :14:46.happened. Thank you, Lord Harris, reporting
:14:47. > :14:49.from lockdown Westminster. We wish him well and hope he is able to be
:14:50. > :14:53.released soon. If you're just joining us,
:14:54. > :14:55.police are dealing with what they've described as a terrorist
:14:56. > :15:01.incident at Parliament. An officer was stabbed to death
:15:02. > :15:02.jeering an attack on the Houses of Parliament.
:15:03. > :15:05.A woman also died and around ten other people were injured as a car
:15:06. > :15:07.ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.
:15:08. > :15:10.A woman was pulled out of the river, alive but with serious injuries.
:15:11. > :15:12.Eyewitnesses have described what's thought to have been a second car
:15:13. > :15:16.Nearby a man wielding a knife was seen running through the gates
:15:17. > :15:20.of the Palace of Westminster, where he stabbed an officer.
:15:21. > :15:22.And the BBC understands that the Foreign Officer Minister,
:15:23. > :15:24.Tobias Ellwood, spent 15 minutes giving mouth to mouth resuscitation
:15:25. > :15:26.to the police officer who was stabbed at Westminster,
:15:27. > :15:33.Police are telling us this evening that additional officers -
:15:34. > :15:36.including firearms officers - were immediately sent to the scene.
:15:37. > :15:39.Extra armed and unarmed police officers will be on duty
:15:40. > :15:43.Joining me now is Professor John Gearson, Professor
:15:44. > :15:46.of National Security Studies at Kings' College.
:15:47. > :15:48.We hoped we'd never see these sorts of scenes again,
:15:49. > :15:51.but our security services have been preparing for this for months.
:15:52. > :16:00.What's your assessment of the response?
:16:01. > :16:06.I think it is clear from the nature of the attack that lots of the
:16:07. > :16:10.passive security measures prevented the vehicles being able to drive
:16:11. > :16:13.against the main gates into Parliament, the vehicle had to go
:16:14. > :16:20.along the pavement from the middle of the bridge going through
:16:21. > :16:23.pedestrians. What we have seen is a combination of the attacks we have
:16:24. > :16:28.seen in Europe and the rest of the world, vehicles used to drive
:16:29. > :16:32.against completely innocent civilians and individual violent
:16:33. > :16:36.attacks against members of the security services, police or the
:16:37. > :16:40.military using knives in this case. It is almost impossible to be
:16:41. > :16:44.completely invincible in these situations, yet a police officer has
:16:45. > :16:49.been stabbed to death, he Mr Bean surrounded by other armed officers,
:16:50. > :16:53.that is an area for concern? -- he must have been surrounded by other
:16:54. > :16:56.armed officers. Parliament is probably one of the best protected
:16:57. > :17:02.places in the world but it is also meant to be open to members of the
:17:03. > :17:04.public to come in and out, so there is a desire not to turn it into
:17:05. > :17:08.something isolated from society. We don't know the details but the
:17:09. > :17:12.officer stabbed was probably one of the officers right up front of
:17:13. > :17:16.house, at the point at which public as to Parliament, hundreds every
:17:17. > :17:20.day, want their photograph taken standing in front of these quite
:17:21. > :17:25.flimsy gates which allow vehicles in and out of Parliament. What happened
:17:26. > :17:27.thereafter I think demonstrates the resilience of Parliamentary
:17:28. > :17:31.security, the individual is not able to go any further other than a few
:17:32. > :17:37.steps inside the front of Parliament. Police have said,
:17:38. > :17:40.Assistant Commander Mark Rowley, said they believe the attacker was
:17:41. > :17:45.working alone yet we see armed officers on the streets of London
:17:46. > :17:49.tonight, is that a message of reassurance? Yes, there was a
:17:50. > :17:53.concern that there might be individuals choosing to imitate the
:17:54. > :17:57.actions of this... If it turns out to be an individual. But before they
:17:58. > :17:59.are sure who they were and that they were working alone there might be a
:18:00. > :18:05.presumption that there are others thinking about going out and doing
:18:06. > :18:10.an attack, it is appropriate that the Commissioner to talk in these
:18:11. > :18:13.terms. Our systems worked but it has demonstrated a certain level of
:18:14. > :18:16.ability that you have to accepted living in a free society. Thank you
:18:17. > :18:17.so much for your analysis. So, as you've been hearing,
:18:18. > :18:20.police are dealing with a major terrorist incident in which three
:18:21. > :18:22.people have died. Around ten people were injured
:18:23. > :18:24.when a car ploughed into pedestrians A woman was pulled out of the river,
:18:25. > :18:28.alive but with serious injuries. NHS London and the London Ambulance
:18:29. > :18:31.Service have been working closely with other emergency services.
:18:32. > :18:33.Our reporter Yvonne Hall is at King's College Hospital,
:18:34. > :18:48.which has been receiving patients What's the latest that you have?
:18:49. > :18:52.Tonight at least five people injured in the terrorist attack are being
:18:53. > :18:57.treated here at King's College Hospital. It is not known yet who
:18:58. > :19:00.they are or how badly hurt they are, the tonight the hospital has
:19:01. > :19:06.declared a major incident and urges the public not to come to A unless
:19:07. > :19:10.absolutely crucial. As you have heard, police have confirmed four
:19:11. > :19:13.people killed and 20 injured in the attack, including several other
:19:14. > :19:18.police officers, a group of French schoolchildren and a woman rescued
:19:19. > :19:21.from the Thames. Many of those have been taken to Saint Thomas's
:19:22. > :19:25.Spittal, which is closest to Parliament, a doctor there is a bad
:19:26. > :19:28.one person had died from her injuries and others were being
:19:29. > :19:31.treated the catastrophic injuries. Tonight all the medical teams
:19:32. > :19:35.involved in the aftermath of the attack are being praised for their
:19:36. > :19:38.hard work and dedication. Back to you. Thank you, Avon hall.
:19:39. > :19:40.One of the areas that has been closed off all afternoon
:19:41. > :19:43.Waterloo station has also been affected.
:19:44. > :19:45.From Waterloo Bridge on the edge of the police cordon,
:19:46. > :19:48.let's speak now to our transport correspondent Tom Edwards.
:19:49. > :20:02.And it feels a little bit busier on Waterloo Bridge, I think that is
:20:03. > :20:06.because Westminster Bridge is still closed due to the incident. I have
:20:07. > :20:10.spoken to commuters as they head home, a real sense of shock and
:20:11. > :20:16.bewilderment. This is what they had to say. It has been expected for a
:20:17. > :20:20.long time, it is amazing that have not been more attacks on London,
:20:21. > :20:23.they must have been doing a good job.
:20:24. > :20:28.Very shocked, I was in a meeting so I heard it rather late, only
:20:29. > :20:31.realised when I had lots and lots of texts and messages from family and
:20:32. > :20:35.friends. Quite shaky because we are quite
:20:36. > :20:40.close, just over the river, but it was bound to happen at some stage, I
:20:41. > :20:45.feel. If we look at the roads, Waterloo
:20:46. > :20:50.Bridge is running OK at the moment. If we look at the jam Cams, this is
:20:51. > :20:54.the area to the south of Westminster Bridge, normally it would be very
:20:55. > :20:58.busy, nothing going through at the moment due to the cordons. This is
:20:59. > :21:03.the River Thames, only police boats have been using this section of the
:21:04. > :21:08.Thames all afternoon, we have been there that long. Trains are running,
:21:09. > :21:11.Westminster chewed station is still closed, British Transport Police
:21:12. > :21:16.have said they are putting more officers on to their network to
:21:17. > :21:17.reassure passengers. Thank you, Tom Evans at Waterloo Bridge.
:21:18. > :21:19.The Mayor has already been speaking about the tremendous bravery
:21:20. > :21:20.displayed by security services this afternoon.
:21:21. > :21:31.Our political editor, Tim Donovan is at City Hall.
:21:32. > :21:37.They closed at City Hall to the public shortly after news reached
:21:38. > :21:42.them of what had happened at Westminster. The mayor has been here
:21:43. > :21:46.all afternoon, quite evidently has been in regular contact with police,
:21:47. > :21:50.the gold command. In a statement released earlier he said he had been
:21:51. > :21:55.speaking to the acting Commissioner, Craig Mackey, who as we have heard
:21:56. > :22:00.is not somebody we have been hearing from publicly because he is a
:22:01. > :22:07.significant witness. The mayor said in his statement he was thinking of
:22:08. > :22:10.all the families involved, as you say, he praised the bravery of the
:22:11. > :22:13.emergency services. It was not clear at the time that the statement was
:22:14. > :22:17.issued that he knew a police officer had died but clearly that will add
:22:18. > :22:23.to the sense of reassurance, what was perhaps expected from him on
:22:24. > :22:27.this day as he makes his way to this Cabinet committee, Cobra at
:22:28. > :22:31.Whitehall, as well as being given an update on the counterterrorist
:22:32. > :22:34.operation and whether it is a closed incident there will be discussion
:22:35. > :22:38.about how to get Westminster back to normal as soon as possible and to
:22:39. > :22:42.how you provide reassurance. The mayor today ineffective speaking for
:22:43. > :22:46.the city, not just its inhabitants, but the world as well -- mayor today
:22:47. > :22:48.in effect is speaking the city. We'll have the latest on this
:22:49. > :22:51.developing story in a moment - let's just pause now for a quick
:22:52. > :22:59.look at the weather -- with Tomasz Schafernaker. The
:23:00. > :23:07.rain will return tonight, it was pretty soggy for many others today.
:23:08. > :23:11.The rain has push towards the east but will probably return later. I
:23:12. > :23:15.think it will be dry across the capital for the time being, then the
:23:16. > :23:19.rain will return Gerina the latter part of the evening and overnight.
:23:20. > :23:27.Rain around by the time we get to first thing on Thursday.
:23:28. > :23:32.Temperatures overnight 506 degrees. Touch five or 6 degrees. The rain
:23:33. > :23:36.hangs around for a time but by around midday we will start to see
:23:37. > :23:42.the sunshine creeping through, it will be a bit breezy. A better day
:23:43. > :23:46.tomorrow on the weather front, still not desperately mild, temperatures
:23:47. > :23:50.around ten or 12 degrees. Tomorrow evening it looks like maybe a few
:23:51. > :23:54.spots of rain once again, nothing too heavy. It looks like the rain
:23:55. > :23:58.would stay to the south of the capital. Friday looks like a pretty
:23:59. > :24:03.strong breeze coming out of the East North East but at least it will be
:24:04. > :24:07.mostly dry, this is the start of a fairly settled period of weather,
:24:08. > :24:13.Friday looks fairly bright, as far as the outlook is concerned, the
:24:14. > :24:17.weekend is looking pretty dry. Not a promising clear blue skies, the
:24:18. > :24:21.temperatures will rise next week we could be back into the high teens,
:24:22. > :24:24.so some good news. Back to you, Alex.
:24:25. > :24:26.So, we were always told another terrorist attack
:24:27. > :24:30.here in London wasn't a matter of if, but when.
:24:31. > :24:35.Police are treating this as a major terrorist incident.
:24:36. > :24:37.So what's been the mood amongst Londoners as the capital reels
:24:38. > :24:43.Louisa Preston has been finding out.
:24:44. > :24:48.I was just walking across the bridge and suddenly a bus stopped and
:24:49. > :24:52.everybody started screaming and people came off the bus and they
:24:53. > :24:56.seemed very upset, then I saw what appeared to be a trainer by the side
:24:57. > :25:00.of the road, on the other side of the road there was a body, when I
:25:01. > :25:03.looked further rep there was another body and when I looked over the side
:25:04. > :25:08.of the bridge there appeared to be a body in the water as well.
:25:09. > :25:14.As we pulled onto Westminster Bridge we saw people laying on the bridge,
:25:15. > :25:24.then the SWAT team turned up, the paramedics, they asked us to abandon
:25:25. > :25:28.our vehicles. About to go into New Palace Yard,
:25:29. > :25:34.which is where the attack was taking place. And was met by about 40
:25:35. > :25:39.people running towards me saying get back, get back, there's been
:25:40. > :25:43.shooting, there's been shooting. Everybody was just shellshocked,
:25:44. > :25:47.wondering where to look, what had happened, then the sort of
:25:48. > :25:52.realisation and the security personnel and paramedics moving in.
:25:53. > :25:58.For passers-by, and this unlike myself coming out just afterwards,
:25:59. > :26:03.you are completely mesmerised by the scene confronting you -- and people
:26:04. > :26:06.like myself coming out afterwards. It is on my doorstep and it is very
:26:07. > :26:08.frightening for everybody here, including all the visitors in London
:26:09. > :26:15.today. The thoughts of Londoners caught up
:26:16. > :26:19.in the tragic events. Back now to our home affairs
:26:20. > :26:24.correspondent Nick Beake New Scotland Yard, four dead, 20 injured
:26:25. > :26:28.in the attack on Westminster Bridge, police will be asked questions about
:26:29. > :26:32.how this could happen but London has been on the highest of alerts for a
:26:33. > :26:37.long time? For the past two and a half years
:26:38. > :26:41.the terror threat level has been rated as severe, that was raised in
:26:42. > :26:47.line with the emergence of the so-called Islamic State group, since
:26:48. > :26:51.then we have seen attacks in Paris, Nice, a year ago in Brussels and
:26:52. > :26:56.London has rejoined the dreadful list again. Police seem to believe
:26:57. > :27:00.it was a so-called lone wolf attack, someone acting alone, that they will
:27:01. > :27:03.take no questions and look for possible associates and whether the
:27:04. > :27:08.individual was involved in any wider web. For Londoners in the coming
:27:09. > :27:12.days they will see a difference, there will be more police on the
:27:13. > :27:15.streets, we're told that as a message of reassurance rather than
:27:16. > :27:20.the terror threat level being raised, it has not gone up today. We
:27:21. > :27:24.were told an attack would happen at some point but that does not make
:27:25. > :27:28.the pain and the shock for many people any easier to deal with when
:27:29. > :27:33.it finally comes. It certainly does not.
:27:34. > :27:37.Thank you. That's it from BBC London. Our colleagues on the news
:27:38. > :27:40.channel will continue the coverage as the situation in Westminster
:27:41. > :27:42.continues to develop. We will be back during the ten o'clock news
:27:43. > :27:45.but, for now, good evening.