welcome to a bbc news special. i am babita sharma in london. the headlines. westminster under attack. five people dead, including a police officer. the chaos began after a man drove into pedestrians on westminster bridge, killing three people and injuring many others. and then i heard a big sort of crunch, it sounded like a car crash, like a wheel on a curb, then it mounted the curb. i saw some people hit in front of me. on the other side of the road there was a body. when i looked furtherup there was a body. when i looked further up there was another body. when i looked over the side of the bridge there appeared to be a body in the water as well. after crashing the car, the attacker forced his way into the precincts of parliament and attacked a police officer who later died. the attacker

was then shot dead by fellow police officers. the prime minister has condemned what she described as a sick and depraved attack. hello, and welcome. five people have died in the heart of london's parliament buildings after an attacker drove a car over a busy bridge, ploughing through pedestrians, and then stabbed a policeman to death. the attack was then shot dead by officers. up to a0 people this hour are injured. it is the worst terror attack in london since thejuly the worst terror attack in london since the july seven the worst terror attack in london since thejuly seven bombings of 2005. ben brown is in westminster. we are at the police cordon in

westminster. this is as close as we can get at the end of a day which has seen five people killed, including the attacker, and also a police officer who was stabbed at the palace of westminster and who has been named tonight as keith palmer, who was a a8—year—old husband and father. a picture of him has now been released by the metropolitan police. he had 15 years of police service to be keith palmer was a8 years old. we know that he was a8 years old. we know that he was stabbed as he was guarding the gates of parliament. foreign office minister, tobias ellwood, try to save his life by giving him artificial respiration. but, sadly, he failed, and keith palmer died along with the attacker and three other people. so, a death toll now of five and at least a0 people have been injured. we have been getting the latest updates from the

metropolitan police's acting deputy commissioner, mark rowley. one of those who died today was a police officer, pc keith palmer. he had 15 yea rs officer, pc keith palmer. he had 15 years service, officer, pc keith palmer. he had 15 years service, was officer, pc keith palmer. he had 15 years service, was a8, and was a husband and father. he left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift, and he had every right to expect that would happen. i can also now confirmed there were three members of the public who have lost their lives in the attack. specially trained family aid officers have been deployed to support them. and as i confirmed earlier, the suspected attacker was shot dead by an armed officer. therefore, we have five people who died today. i will not comment at this stage on the identity of the attacker, but our working assumption is he was inspired by international

terrorism. i should also say at this stage that approximately a0 people have been injured, including several with serious injuries, including three police officers, two of whom are in serious condition. after the attack, westminster was in lockdown. some mps were stuck in the house. 8000 people were in westminster one stage and they have been allowed home. —— 1000 to be theresa may said the attack was sick and depraved. she said any attempt to undermine the british values and way of life by terror were doomed to failure. this report is from our political editor, laura kuenssberg. run. go. move. gunfire. the sound of gunfire replacing the bells of big ben. go!

go, move yourselves, go! the centre of our government, normally a safe place. not today. members of the public, politicians, the hundreds of staff for whom this is work. in politics, for some, a home from home. sprinting for safety outside. the swat team turned up with paramedics, and they asked us to abandon our vehicle and just walk away. there was a body and when i looked further up, there was another body. and then, when i looked over the side of the bridge, there appeared to be a body in the water as well. sick.

to be honest, it is sick to witness these things. and right now, still, my hands are shaking. a car, a weapon, ploughing through members of the public on westminster bridge, normally a tourist spot. today, a site of danger. two killed, many others seriously hurt. and then the car, only a couple of hundred yards away, careered around to smash into pa rliament‘s gates. a policeman gave his life to stop the attacker going further. the prime minister had been meeting cabinet colleagues in parliament. but was hurried out and then through westminster‘s backstreets to safety. and inside parliament, lockdown. i, with hundreds of others, bundled back from the front entrance, waiting through fear and confusion. a police officer told me someone was killed just yards outside. we heard three or four shots on the right, or which sounded like shots, and then everyone turned and ran back

through here and then... well, we know as much as we know from now on in. but i think generally, a lot of people were walking through that area and most people heard three or four shots. did you hear anything? just enormous noise at the front of portcullis house ten minutes ago. lots of police and security guards shouting, people running past the building, general sense of panic. everyone ordered to the back of the building until it was safe to do otherwise. there are at least a couple of 100 people here inside portcullis house. this is really the heart of where westminster does its business and we are all part of a lockdown after what has happened outside. a police officer has told me one man was shot out the front. a few mps have told me they have heard three or four gunshots as they were on their way to vote. this is obviously a place that is very tightly guarded

at all times, but there is a sense of shock that, finally, it appears that something so serious has happened right here in the heart of westminster. then, in the chamber that sat on through all sorts of situations, wars and peace, was interrupted. order! i am now going to suspend the sitting of the house. this house is now suspended, but please wait here. because this place was the focus of danger. mps and staff watched from their windows as the swat team arrived. is this the attacker? a first aid kit thrown in to help, emergency services trying to save him and his victims. while inside, those of us who came here to work today, or to visit or to be part of this place, waited tensely, corridors full of staff who couldn't leave and didn't want to stay, caught up in an attack which stopped the business of democracy. it's just after five o'clock.

we still don't really know what's going on. this group of students was brought here just for the day to see how parliament works. little did they know what kind of situation would unfold. and frankly, it's still very hard to believe what's really happened here today. tonight, the meaning of this attempt seems clear. the prime minister, obviously angered, and saddened, but resolute. 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. that is why it is a target for those who reject those values. but let me make it clear today,

as i have had cause to do before, any attempt to defeat those values to violence and terror is doomed to failure. the human cost is only just becoming clear. we've declared this as a terrorist incident and the counterterrorism command are carrying out a full—scale investigation into the events today. the attack started when a car was driven over westminster bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public, also including three police officers on their way back from a commendation ceremony. the car then crashed near to parliament and at least one man armed with a knife continued the attack and tried to enter parliament. sadly, i can confirm that four people have now died. that includes the police officer who was protecting parliament, and one man we believe to be the attacker, who was shot by a police firearms officers.

the officer's family have been made aware. at least 20 people have been injured. my thoughts are with all those who have been affected by today's attack, and as a service, we have lost one of our own as he acted to protect the public and his colleagues. this is a day we'd planned for, but we hoped would never happen. sadly, it's now a reality. we will continue to do all we can to protect the people of london. an attack, that in theory, many expected. but the truth of an event like this in practice is a shock in our parliament, a shock in our country. whatever the motive, an effort to stop our democracy in its tracks, a new, awful page of history in a place

where every corner tells of our shared past. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. police are saying tonight the attacker was known to them and was inspired by international terrorism. now, the attack started with that drive across westminster bridge in which the vehicle the attacker was driving careered into many pedestrians on the bridge over there. among the casualties, schoolchildren, french or children from brittany, who were on a school trip to london. also three police officers who had been attending an event nearby. and a woman who fell over the bridge into the river thames, but who was pulled out and rescued a live with severe injuries. —— alive. now let us get a report from gavin hewitt on what happened on westminster bridge this afternoon. early afternoon with the traffic flowing over westminster bridge.

to the right, a grey hyundai starts crossing the bridge and then swerves onto the pavement. a woman jumps into the thames. others are knocked to the ground and under traffic as the vehicle races towards parliament square. left behind on the bridge, a group of horrified visitors. 0n the ground, dozens of injured people, some lying on the pavement, many bleeding, one trapped under a bus. some of the injuries were described as catastrophic. a big sort of crunch, sounded like a car crash, but almost that crunch of a wheel on a kerb. i saw the vehicle mount the kerb and it was coming out so quickly, and i saw some people being hit in front of me. ijumped to the left into the road. i think one of the guys had been hit, but fortunately was kept past me. and then looked around me in shock because i could see bodies, and it was all, yeah, real shock. some people trying to escape the vehicle ended up in the road, cared for by bewildered passers—by. we heard what sounded

like metal on metal, and we assumed it was a collision. but then we looked outside and i saw one person down, then another, and i saw five people in all down on the tarmac and on the pavement and then i understood that it must have been deliberate. there were moments when the injured were comforted by others who had been on the bridge. shortly after, paramedics from nearby st thomas' hospital arrived. the woman who jumped into the thames was rescued but is in a critical condition. many on the bridge had severe injuries and two of them later died. the police believe there was only one attacker involved here, but their task over the next 2a or 36 hours will be to trace every link to that individual and to satisfy themselves there was no wider plot here. gavin hewitt, bbc news, westminster. just to show you what is happening

in paris this evening because the mayor of paris said they would turn off the lights as a gesture of solidarity for what happened in london and to pay their respect in france for the victims of the attack. the lights have been turned off on the eiffel tower in paris, the great landmark of the french capital, turned off tonight in solidarity with london and the united kingdom. hearing westminster after the attack on mps were told to stay where they were, whether that was in the chamber of the house of commons or in their offices or various committee rooms and then there was a lockdown where they could not leave where they were. some were taken to westminster at the afterwards but the whole area was locked down because police were worried that there may be another attack on the loose. it was only

this evening that people were allowed to leave. a brutal attack aimed at the heart of britain's national life, at the heart of britain's national life, on a peaceful spring afternoon in the capital, a potential danger so often discussed here at westminster became suddenly horribly real. time for a statement to mps unlike any they had heard before. it seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. an air ambulance is currently attending the scene. at a time like this, although there has been no time quite like this, an attempt to spread fear and wreck notions of normality drew a familiar response, only now the defence of british values were delivered with studied calm to an audience absorbing something shocking. the british people will be united in working together to defeat those

who would harm our shared values, values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. values symbolised by the houses of parliament, values that will never be destroyed. the lockdown ended. those who had been penned in streamed away, and there were forceful appeals for people to resist the temptation to give in to hate, to unite, not split apart. my message to those who want to harm us and destroy our way of life is, you won't succeed. you won't divide us. we will not be cowed by terrorists. parliament will sit tomorrow. the country will go about its business tomorrow. terrorists tried to strike fear in people's hearts. they tried to divide communities. tonight, the labour leader emphasised the scale of the security challenge. it is everybody that must be kept safe, everybody, whether they are in parliament or outside parliament. this was an attack on people going about their normal day—to—day business.

and for even hardened politicians, an emotionally tiring day. just so awful for the people who died and theirfamilies and friends. it is so sick. so finally, here at the heart of government, first—hand experience of a lethal danger that will not be easily disarmed, not by policing, not by any peace initiative. for politicians and people, it's a test of nerve and resolve, a test that will be long—lasting and far from easy to pass. john pienaar, bbc news, westminster. here at westminster, parliament will sit tomorrow. a symbol, really, that terrorism will not win and it will not change what happens here in the heart of british democracy. so mps and peers will sit. the prime minister made that clear in her statement this evening. we have been speaking to the conservative mp for windsor

who was close to where the attack happened and who witnessed his friend, tobias ellwood as he tried to give mouth—to—mouth resuscitation to be fallen police officer. we were going about our duties as mps, i was walking to the westminster chamber to vote and as i was walking through palace yard with other mps, suddenly i heard gunfire. i recognise that sound immediately so i ducked in behind a pillar. we were then instructed quickly by the health services and security we were then instructed quickly by the house services and security services to return to portcullis house. i obeyed instructions and as i turned around my good friend, tobias ellwood, was marching towards us with a determination. i shouted to him, something like saying he was looked like he was on a mission. he marched past us and then it occurred to me that he lost his brother in bali and he was going to do whatever

he could to assist. i am really proud of him and i'm sure his family is as well. what are your thoughts at the end of this day that has seen an attack on the heart of british democracy? i think there are three things. the sense of sadness for the innocent victims who've lost their lives, who had nothing to do with democracy, they were just having a day out. and also gratitude towards police and security services who responded quickly. and above all, a sobering thought and a steely determination. while in lockdown with other mps, every single one of us was clear that we want democracy to continue to function, we will return to work tomorrow. we would go back this afternoon because we cannot allow people to derail this democratic process and the freedoms we enjoy in this country. should security around the palace of westminster be

improved? these are things to be reviewed. i think it is secure enough. if you have somebody using kitchen implements and a vehicle there is not a lot you can do about that. again, i take my hat off to our security staff the police the police officers. they put their lives in danger and in this case somebody has lost their life. i have not met an mp today or ever who says they will not do their duty or they are too nervous to do their duty because of the threat like this. that was a conservative mp who was there as the attack unfolded this afternoon here at westminster. this attack is the worst terror attack in london since the 7/7 bombings in 2005 and scotland yard today said that more police officers will be on patrol around the capital. 0ur security correspondent reports.

the attacker shot by police lies on a stretcher, then still alive. his weapon, a large knife, apparently lies on the pavement next to him. now the hunt is on to identify the man and understand what lay behind this attack. who was he and how did he get so close? 0ther clues for investigators will include the car that was used so brutally as a weapon. was it his or a hire car? armed police have regularly carried out exercises like this one to secure parliament and the area around it. but today the response was for real. the met responded in line with our plans for a marauding terrorist attack. that response included uniformed and specialist firearms officers. we now, of course, have an ongoing operation and while we currently believe there was only one attacker i'm sure people will understand we are taking every precaution in locking down

and searching the area as thoroughly and exhaustively as possible. in recent years security in parliament has been tightened after intruders managed to get inside. cameras, bollards, armed guards and x—ray scanners are all in place. today an attacker did breach the initial perimeter but police dealt with him quickly. the security services say that 13 attacks have been stopped since 2013. m15 and the police have certainly improved their ability to detect those behind the plots. but, we've also seen those planning attacks switch to less sophisticated techniques which can be harder for the intelligence agencies to spot. a year ago exactly saw an attack on brussels airport and the metro. that was more sophisticated than what we saw in westminster today, including the use of explosives. last weekend paris's 0rly airport showed how sometimes lone individuals are now

moving towards more low—tech means. a man grabbed a gun from a soldier but was shot. recent attacks in berlin and nice showed the carnage a vehicle could inflict on innocent people, as happened today on westminster bridge. in many recent cases attackers have been inspired by so—called islamic state, although not necessarily in direct contact with the group. well, it's very hard to prevent an attack, if you like, a low—tech attack like this from happening once an individual is inspired to carry one out. if you haven't got the intelligence to know it is happening it's very, very hard to prevent lives from being lost once the attack actually takes place. a wide reaching and urgent investigation into this incident is now under way. the attacker may be dead but the priority will be finding out if he worked alone and if this threat has really passed.

gordon corera, bbc news. the car careered across the bridge. the car careered across the bridge. the death toll has climbed throughout the day and also the case and control. we now know over a0 people were injured. some of those had serious injuries and some are critically ill tonight and fighting for their life in hospital. stay with us. we will have plenty more to come on these terror attack stop and an update on all the latest developments.

good morning. we have an area of rain across the central and southern parts of england drifting its way further west through this morning and here we have temperatures up to six degrees. rain and southern scotland, wet and windy here that the north scotland, the north—west in particular has light winds and clear skies and lower temperatures, reaching may be —8 for some. the wet weather moves into the bulk of wales for eight o'clock in the morning and into parts of the south—west as well. the rain becomes light and patchy towards the south—east, something brighter behind. northern england is dry with a shower or two over high ground and fair cloud in scotla nd over high ground and fair cloud in scotland and ireland. northern scotland, after a cold start stays chilly through the middle part of the morning and we get regular sunshine as well. light wind as well. a decent start to the day. it will be a decent day for many parts of the north and east of the uk as rain is confined to the south and south—west into the afternoon with a

breeze and that will tempt the temperature is a little bit. 12— 15 for cardiff and london. eight or nine degrees will glasgow and newcastle. through the evening again along the south coast we have thick cloud and outbreaks of rain. rain towards the northern isles but in between fine and dry with this guys and light winds. that means it will bea and light winds. that means it will be a chilly start once again on friday. decent rain to be had on friday. decent rain to be had on friday with the weather front drifting away towards the south stopped high pressure is firmly in charge or the way to the end of the week and into the weekend. friday againa week and into the weekend. friday again a cold start for some particular southern scotland and northern england we have light winds but hira will be a lot lovely day with plenty of sunshine in light wind. breeze top and tail of the country, a little bit rain in the south—west and may be able but rain towards the northern isles. a date 01’ towards the northern isles. a date or at towards the northern isles. a date orata towards the northern isles. a date or at a wise for many. a little bit higher, ten or 11 degrees for glasgow belfast. dobell13 again for cardiff and london. i pressure remains in charge of our weather through this weekend. that will bring a lot of fine and dry weather

widget more on the way of cloud developing as he reached sunday. saturday looks a decent day across large parts of the uk, italy star but regular sunshine through day and it should reach 1a or 15 degrees in the south—east and 13 degrees also for belfast and edinburgh. there is a lwa ys for belfast and edinburgh. there is always a bit of a breeze blowing across the southern half of the uk through this weekend. a lot cloud around on sunday but many places will be fine and dry and some spells of sunshine to be had. again, clings to be had north you are. dry through the weekend if you get sunshine it will be warm but gradually by night. you are watching bbc news. i am babita sharma. the headlines. four people have died after a man drove a car into pedestrians on westminster bridge in the centre of london before trying to force his way into the palace of westminster which is home to the uk parliament. 0ne the palace of westminster which is home to the uk parliament. one of the victims was a police officer who was standing guard at the gate to the parliament building. pc keith

palmer, who was a8, suffered stab wounds. his attacker was then shot dead by firearms officer is as he approached the doors to the building. the identity of the attacker has not been released but it is understood he was known to the police. a terrorism investigation is currently under way. so far, no group has said it is behind the attack. and prime minister theresa may said the attack was six and depraved. the daily routine of britain would carry on as normal, she said. —— sick and depraved. let us recap. she said. —— sick and depraved. let us recap. five people have died in the incident in westminster. 0f those, one was the suspected attacker who was shot dead by police officer is inside the grounds of the palace of westminster. the building is home to the national parliament. another victim is a police officer on duty at the gates who was stabbed to death. he has been named in the

past few hours as police constable keith palmer, who is a husband and father, a8 years old, who was on the force for 15 years. he was not armed but his colleagues were. three other people, members of the public, died after being hit by a car on westminster bridge. a0 others suffered injuries. some of whom are currently in critical condition, it is believed that the police have launched an anti—terror investigation. 0utside scotland yard, the metropolitan police's top officer gave this brief on the attack. today at westminster we saw tragic incident unfold. 0ur attack. today at westminster we saw tragic incident unfold. our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones, those wounded, and those who died in the attack. 0ne ones, those wounded, and those who died in the attack. one of those who died in the attack. one of those who died today is pc keith palmer, a police officer. keith — aged a8 — had 15 years'

service and was a husband and a father. he was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift and he had every right to expect that would happen. i can also now confirm three members of the public also lost their lives in this attack. specially trained family liaison officers will be deployed to support them. and i confirmed earlier, the suspected attacker was shot dead by an armed officer — therefore meaning we now have five people in total who have died. i will not comment at this stage on the identity of the attacker, but our working assumption that he was inspired by international terrorism. also, at this stage, but it may change — we believe approximately a0 people were injured, some with serious injuries, including three police officers, two of whom are in a serious condition. 0ur

our investigation continues and is moving at a very fast pace this evening. we have hundreds of officers on this investigation and they are focusing on the motivation, preparation and associates, of the attackers. we have an extensive crime scene that covers a wide area. as with all investigations of this nature, it will take some time to get through the painstaking work to undercover all the elements. we will let you know the full picture when we know. officers are taking statement from the hundreds of people nearby as the events to fold. were also examining cctv. —— took place. we are working to stop the cordon is. i would like to thank the public as we undercover what happened. as the prime minister said earlier on, the uk threat level has

been at severe or sometime, and this level is not changing. —— for some time. but we have methods to protect eve ryo ne a cross time. but we have methods to protect everyone across the country. as we continue to investigate today's horrific events, we want to reassure the public that police and partners will do everything possible to protect them. as a precautionary measure over the next two days we are increasing the amount of officers on hand to provide reassurance. this will continue for as long as is necessary. terrorists have a clear and, that is to create discord, distrust, and to create fear. —— aim. the police stand with all security in the uk and will make sure we are safe and we will get rid of these people who are motivated by hate. we must recognise now that muslim, committees will feel anxious at this time given the past

behaviour of extreme right wing groups. we will work with everyone over the next few days. it is essential for us to remain vigilant, but also to work together, police and communities, to unite against those who want to threaten, intimidate, and cause fear. we asked the public to be alert and report any suspicious activities to the police, reporting on the police terrorism hotline or dialling 999. todayis terrorism hotline or dialling 999. today is an incredibly sad and sombre day. everyone is affected. it is only right that i finish by mentioning the pride i feel in the swift and brave response from our offices, especially from those who, without fear for their own safety, confronted the terrorist. thank you. i will take some questions. do you

think you know who the man is? we think you know who the man is? we think we know who the attacker is, and asi think we know who the attacker is, and as i said, we are working with associates. i know there are some proactive journalists out there. i would ask for restraint to allow us to continue this investigation without being troubled by incorrect reporting. do you know if there are concerns there are other people involved in this and potential for further events? this is an ongoing investigation. to give any details about the investigation would be inappropriate. do you know who was injured? we have a range of nationalities and are working with host countries. that is what you would expect from a tourist location like westminster bridge. it would be wrong to mention those now until we talk with the host countries and families. do you know who this is

relate it to? islamist right-wing extremism is darragh sumption. what about the national threat level? —— is our assumption. we are keeping it at severe. but as a precautionary basis, there will be further patrols, armed and unarmed. you will see more in crowded places and iconic locations. will westminster be closed as a crime scene? be examination of the crime scene will ta ke examination of the crime scene will take many, many hours. parliament will reopen tomorrow. some of the crime scene will restrict one or two of the entrances, but business must return to normal as quickly as possible. do you know any details of the individual? i will not talk about it until we get on with the

investigation. who is involved in this investigation? the parliamentary protection team. sadly, keith palmer was involved and has been killed. what happened in the event? the attacker tried to enter parliament and was stopped at the gate. what about security increasing and privacy? it is too early to talk about that but we will consider it in following days. inaudible. we will use military

support if necessary but it hasn't been necessary. thank you for your time. that was the acting deputy commissioner, mark rowley. it is thought at this stage it was the work of one single suspect. police have not ruled out the involvement of others. we have been getting more details on how the attack unfolded. at around 2a0 on wednesday afternoon, a car drives across westminster bridge, mounts the pavement, and ploughs and the people in its path. the vehicle crosses the bridge, passes big ben, then slams into the railings. the attacker, armed with a knife, then runs around the corner and into the main gates of the palace of westminster. when he gets there he stabs a police officer. eyewitnesses say when he approaches a second police officer clutching his knife, he was shot. well, the prime minister, theresa may, vowed that the uk would never

give in to terror as she addressed the country. this is what she had to say outside downing street. i have just chaired a meeting i havejust chaired a meeting of i have just chaired a meeting of the emergency parliament committee, cobra, and there has been a depraved attack on the streets of our capital this afternoon. the full details of attacker what happened are still emerging, but having been updated by police and security officials, i can confirm that this appalling incident began when a single attacker drove his vehicle into pedestrians walking across westminster bridge, killing two people, and injuring many more, including three police officers. this attacker, who was armed with a knife, then ran towards parliament, where he was confronted by the

police officers to keep us and our democratic institutions safe. tragically, one officer was killed. the terrorist was also shot dead. these events provide a particular reminder of the exceptional bravery of our police and security services who risk 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. on the half of the whole country, i want to pay tribute to them and to all our emergency services for the work they have been doing to reassure the public and bring security back to the streets of our capital city. that they have lost one of their own in today's attack only makes their calmness and

professionalism under danger more and more remarkable. tomorrow morning, parliament will meet as normal. we will come together as normal. we will come together as normal. and londoners and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great city will get up and go about their daily as normal. they will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives, and we will all move forward together, never giving in to terror, and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart. theresa may speaking outside downing street a few hours ago. let us hear from two of the people who witnessed the events first—hand. in a moment we will bring you the reaction from

kevin scurfield who works in an office overlooking parliament square. but this person was coming out of the tube station as the events unfolded. he spoke to us soon afterward. i was coming out of the tube near westminster at 2a5. it was clear something happened. police we re clear something happened. police were ushering us out of the station quickly. i looked across the west pavement and there were bodies, people lying on the bridge, being tended to. i moved into the middle of the bridge and looked further down the south side of the bridge and it was clear that there were bodies lying on the floor on the western pavement. i spoke to someone who was on the bridge at the time and they said a car had mounted the pavement, the vehicle, and literally driven the hallway from south to

north up the bridge, knocking people over. i counted at least eight from south to north. one was clearly shocked. —— whole way. they were being tended to as i was standing there, an ambulance came over. an incredible number of security personnel, both from the ambulance service, paramedics, but also plain—clothed people with masks and machine—guns. the quantity of armed personnel arriving was very significant very quickly. as i looked, there were police vehicles and other vehicles with lights on, and other vehicles with lights on, and a grey van with a number of security persons. it was reassuring

to see so many. we had some loud bangs and a car crash that we saw from our office. there were many people running around shouting "look at what happened!" we thought it was at what happened!" we thought it was a bus crash because there were many up a bus crash because there were many up and down the road. then i looked out the gates. the secure gate. there were armed policeman. i saw them stormed through the gates. a man attacked a policeman and he went down. another man approached him and the man got up and with his arm outstretched looking like it had a knife in it pointed towards the policeman. then i could not quite see, i couldn't get a vantage point, but then there was gunfire. we knew it was something serious all of a sudden. i could see a car which had

crashed into a gate on the side of westminster. that would appear to be what the bang was. it is still there right now. i can see it. have lost loved ones and those affected by today's attack. a man doing thisjob to affected by today's attack. a man doing this job to keep that was sadiq khan. defeating

islamic state is the i strongly condemn the attacks in london and i express my condolences to all of those loved ones but i also express condolences to the british people. as did borisjohnson earlier today. all our allies stand together in the face of terrorism and combating terrorism has been the main focus of our meeting here on washington today. you say is the main focus of the coalition gathered here to defeat isis and how can you

prevent these lone wolf attacks? we will always be vulnerable. vulnerable for these kind of attacks. there is no way we can be 100% safe. but we can do many different things to reduce risks and also to fight terrorist organisations like isil. that is what we are doing in new york and syria but that is also the purpose of the presence of nato in a country like afghanistan. it is also about police, intelligence and an ideologicalfight police, intelligence and an ideological fight against those values which do not respect basic humid rights. that was my colleague speaking to the nato general secretary. ben brown or westminster spoke to was a short time ago was all of the latest developments. let's focus now on security in london and elsewhere. david lowe is from the academy of policing in

liverpool. obviously they had been expecting an attack for some time. we have had warnings even from 18 months ago, warning sounded from mi5. months ago, warning sounded from m15. they said it will be years, and no sorry they are looking at when not years. although it is anticipated that is still a shock when it happens. that is the purpose of terrorism. but you just go about your life. we do this in two ways. once the suspect crashed the car you saw the immediate response. though it was tragic that one police officer lost this life. the individual could not carry out what we expect, what their intent was. and of course the sad part is westminster bridge. this is the nightmare scenario that we had been dreading, i think, nightmare scenario that we had been dreading, ithink, overall. we saw

in nice in we sarah dingle early on. it is so difficult. —— we saw it in berlin. many people have shared the view that it is impossible that despite how much you're prepared to the mass evacuation of people in a major city like london or, you know, a medical response to a situation like this that you cannot prevent it. you share that view? yes. it is virtually impossible. especially when you have a lone back to acting under the influence of whatever extremist view he has found. we saw some in similar... it is notjust is mullis we're looking at here, don't forget that we had a politician killed by somebody influenced by far right extremism. you have to look at the situation of how difficult this is tried to detect. and what i find

it interesting is that there may be some preparation, planning and looking about this individual. and i think that is the point that was made this morning, if anybody sees anything at all, anything that they are not happy with all suspicious of, because even these lone actors may plan, please call the police on the terrorist hotline. it may save lives. that is where we all play a part. there is only so much security services can do and we have heard from the reports that have come out that 13 major plots have been prevented. that is a fantastic achievement. look at the response of the metropolitan police today and, again, it was exactly how they reacted. all the training exercises and planning came to fruition. it is just sad that we have the number of casualties that we did but it could have been a lot worse. metropolitan

police say there are extra officers, armed and an unarmed on the streets of london tonight. an attack on the capital has been long feared and despite the success of the security services in foiling a series of plot, there have also been warnings of the likelihood of an attack. so how have people here reacted? our home editor reports on the response of london to this attack. sirens and prayers mixed together at the church of saint martins on the field tonight. outside, authorities had placed physical reassurance. please just being there to make people feel safe. that is how people felt. a busker set up at this sport in trafalgar square as theatreland took to the stage this evening. chinatown was full of people. if london was in

shock, the crowds suggested that they were determined to ignore any anxieties. we arrived in london as it was happening so it was a little worrying but does not stop us.|j have faith that we will be ok. i come from turkey and i am used to these attacks in my country. once ourfamilies knew these attacks in my country. once our families knew we were 0k, these attacks in my country. once ourfamilies knew we were 0k, we these attacks in my country. once our families knew we were 0k, we are on holiday. for years they had been warned that it was not a matter of if but when another attack came. they had read the signs and heard the advice about suspicious activity and unattended packages. the possibility of being caught up in random violence court crosses the minds of people readily but that is pa rt minds of people readily but that is part of living in a big city. it has been expected for some time and it is amazing that they have not been more attacks. they must be doing a good job. we are quite close, it was just over the river there, but it

was bound to happen at some stage, i feel. the rest and flashers and wailing sirens remind those who remember 2005, the aftermath of 7/7. extra police patrols, some with guns. even they have become a familiar sight guns. even they have become a familiarsight in guns. even they have become a familiar sight in the capital. london was prepared for this. inside the cordon, a vast cloud. london fw one is under forensic control. outside, the city carries on its business. for london, today has been disturbing and desperately sad but the city remained calm and carries on. let's have a quick look at how the newspapers covering this attack on thursday morning. this is the metro newspaper with a picture of police surrounding the attacker. the headline, terror at the heart of power. the daily express it uses a similar photo and reports on the

conservative mp who tried to save the life of the police officer who was stabbed to death, keith palmer. bmp, tobias ellwood, is also on the front page of the guardian, shown helping the paramedics. and the times also uses its front page to show the scene in new palace yard moments after the assailant was shot. the daily telegraph this morning opened with therese a's message of defiance that attacks on democracy are doomed to failure. and the daily mirror are also calls it an attack on democracy and shows a photograph of the paramedics taking away a the attacker on a stretcher. you have been watching this bbc news special. more to come. good morning. we have an area of rain across the central and southern parts of england drifting its way further west through this morning and here we have temperatures up to six degrees. rain in southern scotland,

wet and windy here in the north of scotland, the north—west in particular has light winds and clear skies and lower temperatures, reaching maybe —8 for some. the wet weather moves into the bulk of wales before eight o'clock in the morning and into parts of the south—west as well. the rain becomes light and patchy towards the south—east, something brighter behind. northern england is dry with a shower or two over high ground and fair cloud in scotland and ireland. a little rain to go with that. northern scotland after a cold start stays chilly through the middle part of the morning and we get regular sunshine as well. light wind as well. a decent start to the day. it will be a decent day for many parts of the north and east of the uk as rain is confined to the south and south—west into the afternoon with a breeze and that will tempt the temperatures the temperatures a little bit. 12—15 for cardiff and london. eight or nine degrees in glasgow and newcastle. through the evening again along the south coast we have thick cloud and outbreaks of rain.

rain towards the northern isles but in between fine and dry with clear skies and light winds. that means it will be a chilly start once again on friday. decent rain to be had on friday with the weather front drifting away towards the south. high pressure is firmly in charge all the way to the end of the week and into the weekend. friday again a cold start for some particular southern scotland and northern england we have light winds but here will be a lot lovely day with plenty of sunshine in light wind. breeze top and tail of the country, a little bit of rain in the south—west and maybe a little bit of rain towards the northern isles. a little bit higher, ten or 11 degrees for glasgow and belfast. 13 again for cardiff and london. high pressure remains in charge of our weather through this weekend. that will bring a lot of fine and dry weather, more on the way of cloud developing as we reached sunday. saturday looks a decent day across large parts of the uk, regular sunshine through the day and it should reach 1a or 15 degrees in the south—east and 13 degrees also for belfast and edinburgh.

there is always a bit of a breeze blowing across the southern half of the uk through this weekend. a bit more cloud around on sunday but many places will be fine and dry and some spells of sunshine to be had. dry through the weekend, if you get sunshine it will be warm but quite chilly by night. welcome to a bbc news special. i'm mike embley, in london, where a lone attacker has killed four people, including a police officer, outside the houses of parliament. britain's prime minister has condemned what she called a "sick and depraved terrorist attack". the attacker drove into pedestrians on westminster bridge causing catastrophic injuries. fani fan i heard a big crunch, like a car crash and the vehicle was coming out

so quickly and i saw some people hit in front of me. on the side of the road that was a body and when i looked there was another and they're happy to be a body in the water as well. police shot dead the attacker. they say they know his identity and believe he was motivated