On the afternoon of March 22, 2017 CNN International Correspondant Phil Black described the scene as it unfolded live from London. Earlier today, a man in a car drove over Westminister Bridge right near Parliment itself, then ran over people at that location before slamming into a gate, getting out of the car and then attacking a police officer. Sources and police claim that the immediate threat for the area has passed, as the scene has become increasingly calm and organized. “Four people, including an armed police officer and a man believed to be the attacker, have died in a terrorist incident near the UK’s Houses of Parliament” Scotland Yard has said.” Acting Deputy Commissioner who is the chief of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, stated that a major terrorist investigation has begun.
Chief U.K. Correspondent for Politico, Tom McTague (witness near the scene) had first hand sight of the scene as it transpired. “I was at my desk in Parliament which overlooks Parliment Square where the attack took place, we heard a loud bang like a car crash so we naturally went to the window to take a look at what was happening and we heard screams and angry shouting and then we saw crowds of people near the entrance gate. At that point you saw a man run through the gates toward a police officer start to attack him and you saw stabbing motions. It wasn’t clear from where I was whether he had a knife or not but you certainly saw his arms thrashing around and the police officer fall to the floor. You then saw the man running forward further into the Parliamentary Estate to the side towards Westminister Hall where there were armed police officers waiting for him.” He claims the officer shot the man three or four times after the atracker refused to acknowledge the motions and gestures the police used to warn him.
The most fearful aspect of the entire situation draws back to the fact that it could have been anyone who was in the midst of the catastrophe. Westminister Bridge is public, essentially anyone can take a tour around that location to see Parliament and other tourist destinations. Further discussion of the fact that this attacker used a car as a means of intended harm, signified a tie to a particular terrorist group who also uses such tactics as a means of destruction. Additional correspondents have spoken about comparisons made about Washington D.C. and London. As stated, people are no longer permitted to drive on Pennsylvania Avenue and around the Capital, there is also a limit to how far one is allowed to go near it. There are many systems implemented in an attempt to avoid such traumatic and events from taking place again. However, like any system, it is not “full proof.” Protecting large institutions such as Parliment in London, remains a dilemma, as Cedric Leighton says, “there are many points of vulnerability especially when you are in a crowded area like that (Westminister Bridge) it becomes very difficult to protect it with an ironclad.”
The scene is presently under investigation as the police and Counter Terrorism team make an effort to discover the reason behind such heinous acts taken out on innocent civilians and tourists of London.
Comments are closed.