Barriers set up after Westminster car ramming may have saved lives in London attack
LONDON — London's mayor is urging residents and tourists to remain calm and vigilant following the latest terror attack in the city. The driver of a car injured three people before crashing into barricades near Parliament.
A security camera captured the moment the silver Ford came speeding down the road. It hit a group of cyclists, jumped the sidewalk and then smashed into the heavy metal security barrier.
It took just seconds for London police to arrive on the scene. Guns drawn, they surrounded the car, arrested the driver and led him away in handcuffs.
Emergency services treated three people on the scene but there were no life threatening injuries. That's probably because of special anti-terrorist barriers erected at strategic locations after last year's car ramming on Westminster Bridge which killed five people.
The car was driven from Birmingham by a 29-year-old British man, according to police. When he got to the scene, he staked out Westminster before smashing his car.
Police are still trying to determine his motive but are treating it as a terrorist incident. Similar attacks, like the one which killed 86 people in Nice two years ago, and the one in New York City which killed eight, shows that using a vehicle as a deadly weapon has become a frequent terrorist tactic.
U.S. and British intelligence are sharing information regarding the incident. But at this stage, Scotland Yard believes there is no ongoing threat connected to the attack.