we begin with breaking news out of south jersey where an investigation is underway because of police activity at an apartment complex in camden county this morning. cydney long is live in lidden to tell us more. >> reporter: the maintenance crew here at the pines apartments tells me that police officers have been focused on apartment number 5105 since about 8:15 this morning. this is one of the apartments right here behind me. and we have watched crime scene investigators as well as police carry evidence bags out over the last hour or so. neighbors witnessed a horrifying sight, when they describe as police carrying two tiny bundles

or police carrying what appeared to be tiny infants wrapped in medical blankets. both the police and the prosecutor's office has detectives out here as we speak. the prosecutor's office will not confirm for me any deaths. they're telling me, quote, this investigation is at the very early stages. ebony was getting ready for work when she witnessed some of the commotion. >> i didn't hear anything. i was getting ready for work and i saw the young lady coming out of the house crying hysterically. they put her in the back of a cop car. she was screaming. she was like crying really bag. i saw them bring out bags, you know body bags and stuff. >> reporter: that neighbor went on to say only a mother would cry like that woman did. so again the activity is still unfolding here as we speak.

crime scene investigators in and out of number 5105. we're continuing to work the phones. i'm in touch with the police chief as well as detectives with the prosecutor's office asking exactly what unfolded here overnight or this morning. i'm cydney long. nbc10 news. we're also following breaking news from overseas for you. reports of gunfire heard outside parliament of london. here's a live picture of the scene. there are reports people were shot. police reported they're responding to the incident at westminster bridge. we'll be watching this and bringing you updates as soon as we get them into nbc10 news. seth williams is set to turn himself in this afternoon to face nearly two dozen felony charges. williams faces 23 counts. the feds alleged he accepted

more than $100,000 in gifts in exchange for official favors. and investigators say he took thousands of dollars from a relative, money that was supposed to pay for nursing home care. pamela osborne is live outside federal court in center city where williams will appear this afternoon. tell us more. >> reporter: we are expecting him to appear here at federal court at 2:00 today to answer to charges of his own. today district attorney seth williams will be arraigned on 23 counts. the charges bribery and extortion. >> it's about as bad as it can be. if your job is to prosecute other people, accuse them of crimes, bring them to trial, put them in jail and you yourself are violating the laws and the ethics these people are being accused of, it's the ultimate in hypocrisy. >> reporter: williams offered to help two business owners in exchange for money and gifts, like a $6300 trip to punta cana.

prosecutors also say williams used $20,000 that was meant to care for a family member to pay for his own personal expenses. charges he must now answer to. the u.s. attorney on the case says he's not sure how many prison time he'll seek, but each of those counts carries a 5 to 20-year sentence. i'm pamela osborne, nbc10 news. now as for who will replace williams as da, eight candidates are in the race. the democrats will be narrowed down after the primary scheduled for may. follow us on air and online. make sure you have the nbc10 app. we'll keep you updated with breaking news alerts as they happen.

i know, i know. the calendar says spring. it just doesn't feel that way. the cold air is back, and the winds are making it feel everyone chillier out there. here's a live look at center city. first alert meteorologist krystal klei has your most accurate forecast. good morning. >> good morning. this is like the longest roller coaster ride you've ever been on. here's the feels-like temperatures. it's windy and there's cold air in place. 29 in philly and northeast philly. look at mt. pocono. feels like 3 degrees right now. there's a few isolated flurries passing by as well. millville, 34 degrees right now. it doesn't get much better than that. this is part of the reason why. our current wind gusts, it is windy out there.

36 in wilmington. even stronger in areas like millville, dover, and atlantic city, 40 mile-per-hour wind gusts. what it feels like outside, the result you just saw. here's a look at radar and satellite. for our area, there's not much going on. we are clear. a lot of sunshine out there. as i mentioned a few flurries that are trying to fall past the poconos area. otherwise just a sunny forecast. tomorrow, we'll remain mostly sunny. still cool. there's a pick up in your temperatures as we get into the weekend and we have a rainy pattern ahead. we'll take a closer look at all of that coming up. police in burlington county are looking for a gunman after a man was shot and killed in pemberton. sky force 10 flew over the scene last night on kinsley road. the victim was shot in his car. police will search for the

cause of this fire this morning. our crew at the scene said the inside of the building is heavily damaged. no one was hurt. two former penn state employees are expected to take the stand today in the trial of the university's former president. tim curly and gary shultz are expected to testify against president graham spanier. prosecutors say spanier put children at risk with how he handled those complaints about sandusky as the university's president. spanier faces several charges, including endangering the welfare of children. the adopted son of jerry sandusky is scheduled to be arraigned today on child sex assault charges. he was arrested in february for alleged sex abuse involving two minors. we may not know until friday

who won yesterday's special election in north philadelphia for a pennsylvania house seat. an election official tells nbc that a write-in candidate won the race. they won't announce which candidate won until all write-in ballots are counted. the seat has been open ever since former state representative leslie acosta resigned in january after pleading guilty to embezzlement charges. several state lawmakers are announcing a plan to raise taxes for the rich. it calls for increasing taxes on wealthy and reducing taxes on wages. the bill's sponsors say it would bring in $2 billion in new revenue and most people will see a tax cut or no change at all in what they pay. u.s. women's hockey training camp starts today, but it may be without the players. they still haven't reached a contract agreement, and they have threatened to boycott team

activities. players met with lawyers for ten hours in philadelphia this week and did report some progress. they want more equitable wages, travel accommodations, and better marketing. pepsi says it is pulling larger sizes of its products off philadelphia store shelves because of the city's soda tax. the company says it wants to offer sizes people can better afford. philadelphia's tax on sugary drinks is charged to distributors. several shoppers say they're shopping outside the city to avoid the extra cost that's been passed along to them. >> every single day on a consistent basis we have loads of product that have to come back on the shelf once the customer understands their cost is excessive. >> the mayor's office says it

has nothing to do with the city's tax and points out the soda industry as a whole is trending toward smaller sizes. "the ellen degeneres show" will have a tv crew on walnut street center city, philadelphia, this afternoon. they're not saying what's going to happen, that it is just going to be fun. good day. we're coming on the air because of one, possibly two security situations unfolding right now in central london. report of shots fired outside parliament. the house of commons was in session and the parliament was put on a lockdown. let's get more now from kelly cobiella. kelly, what do you know? >> lester, it looks as though there are two separate incidents now in central london. one of the westminster bridge, which is that very famous bridge you see leading to the houses of parliament across the thames.

it appears a car hit several people, a crowd, on westminster bridge. at least five people were hit by that car. they're now being treated from what we understand, and a separate incident close to the houses of parliament where a man believed to have been armed with a knife threatened a police officer and was able to get into the confines of the parliamentary building. the leader of the house of commons has confirmed that that man was shot by police. that information has not yet been confirmed by met police. what we're hearing on the official channels of met police is that there is a firearms incident in central london, that they are aware of this, but they are not giving any further details. lester, one more note to add.

this would have been a very busy day at parliament. it's wednesday. that's when the prime minister goes to the houses of parliament and addresses fellow colleagues and talks about the state government and policies. we understand the prime minister is safe and at work. her location not being disclosed. >> lester? >> we're looking at a picture right now of westminster bridge and a vehicle stopped right there. is your assessment of whatever happened there is now contained? >> we haven't heard officially from met police whether if they're looking for more than one suspect, whether they have stopped a suspect, whether anyone is in custody or has been stopped by any means, shot or otherwise. all we have in terms of suspects or attackers is this information from the leader of the house of commons who has said one man has been shot at the houses of parliament. so again, lester, this leads to

the question what exactly happened on westminster bridge aside from a person in a car running into a crowd of people and injuring at least five. that's where we stand as of now. >> all right. we're looking at a live arii ae view of the bridge itself where we believe some people have been treated there. the camera focusing on what appear to be people on the ground near that double decker bus. how this relates to what happened on the grounds of parliament is not clear right now, but you can clearly see activity, first responders around that bus on the bridge. this bridge leads across the thames, as kelly noted, and two parliaments. the early reports are of shots fired. there was a statement by the leader of the house of commons who said the assailant was shot

by armed police. an air ambulance is currently on the scene to remove casualties. he notes in the statement further violence in the vicinity of the palace at westminster. he says he hopes colleagues on all sides will certainly stay in touch with all this. bill neely is also in london right now. he joins us on the phone. bill, what do you know? >> yes, i'm in central london at the minute, and it does appear that this is some kind of terror incident because it does appear there were two incidents. in one a man actually got inside the grounds of westminster. remember, this is the seat not just of british government and the parliament, but of british democracy. he appears to have been armed with a knife. he was challenged by two police officers, and it does appear that that assailant was shot by armed police. at around the same time and just a few hundred yards away, it

seems that a vehicle -- it's being described as a 4x4, so a vehicle that would hit with considerable force -- knocked down possibly five people on westminster bridge. there are pictures on social media. there is video on social media of some of those people lying on the ground. we don't know what condition they are in, and so far the police have not given any details of injuries or indeed of death, but this appears to be a double incident, you know, at the very center of british democracy. obviously, london has been subject to terrorist attacks in the past. one's mind immediately goes to paris and brussels and other european countries that have suffered terrorism in recent years, so clearly a very serious incident or two incidents here. >> yeah, as we look at another live view this is just outside parliament right now on the street that leads across the

bridge there. you can see the police activity. we saw what appeared to be first responders tending to individuals on the bridge itself. that would be the second location. the first location is the parliament itself where police apparently took down an assailant there. how broad this reaches is a little unclear. no one officially has characterized this as a terrorist incident. we're certainly aware of what happened within the past year in nice and during the christmas holiday in germany involving vehicle attacks, and authorities around the world have tightened their security and have kept that in mind, the possibility of these kinds of attacks. here you see a vehicle up on the sidewalk there and what appear to be medical attendants dealing with people, potential casualties right there on the street, the sidewalk leading to the westminster bridge. this all taking place -- it's

mid afternoon in london right now. if you're just joining us, we're watching two likely related but not clear situations unfold. an individual shot. there were shots fired outside parliament, and then a vehicle that apparently moved into a crowd of people on the bridge, westminster bridge. it's a very popular tourist location that people come to get a look at big ben. there you see as the camera widens out a little bit more of parliament. kelly cobiella, you still with us? >> i am, yes. >> is this being characterized beyond just two separate incidents? >> well, officially they say they're dealing with two separate scenes here, lester, and we do know that this has been the fear of met police now for years. they've warned repeatedly it's not a case of if, but when. they've talked about how many

terrorist attacks, plots, they have foiled. not to say this has been linked to terrorism. it absolutely has not at this point, but it has that same sort of signature as other types of attacks we have seen in other parts of europe. the question here is, was this involving more than one person, was there an attacker on the bridge, which is, i think, what you were getting to, lester. was there an attacker on the bridge who is now potentially on the loose? was there someone else who was attacking parliament or is this the same person who has now been we understand shot somewhere in or around the grounds of parliament? and that we simply don't know at this point. met police has said that they have closed the westminster underground train station very, very close to westminster.

if you've been to london and ri ridden the tube, that takes you right to the foot of parliament. that may be an indication perhaps they're either trying to keep people out of the area or they're trying to keep any possible suspects in or a combination of the two, lester. >> and there were reports again of a police officer stabbed at parliament. police shooting the assailant there. how many other people may be involved in this is unclear. a moment ago we saw a medical ambulance that had landed just outside the grounds of parliament to obviously take some of the casualties away. we have seen paramedics now on both sides of the bridges. first responders apparently tending to individuals, so this is a pretty broad area because we're seeing activity on both sides of this bridge as well as in parliament. we haven't heard any numbers, but clearly they are working

several scenes here across the bridge. as you see, the camera continues to move now. you can see people being attended to all along the bridge. traffic obviously stopped. we're told that parliament was placed on a lockdown. house of commons was in session. it was quickly suspended at the sound of shots. people report hearing shots outside parliament. that would have been likely been the police officer responding to that acssailant with the knife. now you can see all along the bridge as it continues to move up towards parliament different spots of police activity and what appears to be medical activity as well. if you have been to london, as kelly pointed out, this is a place you have likely been to. it is a very, very popular stroll for tourists across the bridge who want to get a view of parliament and the thames. this would be very crowded this time of day. would have been a little after 2:00 in the afternoon when this

all transpired. here's another view now as we look live on the westminster bridge of paramedics there who have set up what appears to be a triage area there. we don't have a number of injured or casualties, but we are just watching this play out. obviously an unfolding situation. police, the metropolitan police, in london getting a handle on this. obviously, security throughout london would be on high alert right now as investigators try to get a handle on how broad this may be or whether this was limited to what we're seeing here, these two incidents in and around parliament. yeah, i'm just watching as that camera moves in. it is hard to get an idea. we had heard reports that a vehicle, a truck, may have plowed into the crowd. the fact we're seeing people treated hear at different

intervals along the bridge would perhaps suggest it could have been a moving vehicle, but we don't really have confirmation right now. the report again parliament in lockdown. an assailant stabbed a police officer, was shot by police, then police also responding to this incident on the westminster bridge that has not clearly been identified as to what happened here. you can see the enormous amounts of ambulances and police and of course a lot of tourist vehicles that stopped in the middle of this. we don't know whether there are people still in those vehicles, but whenever it happened it was witnessed by a lot of people. you see a duck boat there and the double decker tour buses, but a lot of pedestrians would be making their way across that famous bridge at this time of day to capture the sights and sounds there. we noted we saw a medical helicopter on the ground there as well that was called in to

take away the most serious casualties. there's another perhaps first responder helicopter moving through the frame there as we continue to watch and wait and try to get a sense of exactly what has unfolded, the order of how it's unfolded, and how security forces in london may be preparing for the eventuality that this goes beyond these locations. kelly cobiella is watching and monitoring all this from our newsroom in london. kelly, what more can you add? >> well, we just got off the phone with a member of the house of lords, two chambers in the houses of parliament. the nps and then the house of loo lords. this member says he is inside and he and others have been told to get in their offices, to barricade themselves inside in case of another attacker. no all clear for sure at this point inside the houses of

parliament. we do understand that from the house of commons leader that an officer was stabbed inside the grounds, whether it was inside the building itself we don't know and the attacker was shot by police. but the question is, if the staff and civil servants and elected officials inside that building are being told to barricade themselves inside in case of another person on the loose, the question becomes was there more than one who got into this government building, the seat of power in london, lester? and we just don't know the answer as of yet. >> let's walk back a little bit as to this situation that has unfolded across this bridge. any indication of whether this was shots or a vehicle or what do we know? >> originally, there was some confusion because at around -- well, i guess it was about 40

minutes to an hour ago now. we heard there was a firearms incident. that came directly from met police here in london, that they were dealing with a firearms incident on westminster bridge. then we started seeing the reports on social media as well as the live cameras here from some of our local partners here showing something very different, showing some sort of 4x4, a very large vehicle, that had run into people on westminster bridge. this would have been a very crowded place at this time of the day. there would be people walking back and forth from offices on their way to meetings. then you add in the tourists. so this is the second report we received, which was really from witnesses and just from the video on the ground, lester, of a car, a 4x4, mowing down people on westminster bridge. in addition to that a reuters

photographer reported seeing at least a half a dozen people injured on the bridge. we're not sure if there was a firearms incident in addition to that, if any of those people were shot in addition to being hit by a car, but we do think the primary weapon, if you will, used on westminster bridge was a 4x4. >> this is the original scene we believe. you're looking on the grounds now of parliament here where that ambulance and first responders are -- we believe that would be the scene where an officer was stabbed and another officer returned fireassailant. this is the separate scene from what you were witnessing on the bridge which is just a short walk away. we have a former fbi profiler and he is joining us on the phone. we have seen time and time again, if in fact this is a

terror incident, a low-tech kind of incident. we saw in paris a few days ago an assailant simply trying to take a gun from a police officer. if this was terror related, a vehicle, a knife, very low tech. this is something i would suggest that cities would have a hard time defending against. >> well, very much so, lester. i mean, anyone can acquire a knife. of course, as you have witnessed and reported on over the last year and a half so, we've seen trucks used multiple times. we've seen middle eastern terrorist groups advocate the use of either a knife or a truck to go into a crowd. so unfortunately this is nothing new, but it is without advanced information of something that's going to happen very hard for law enforcement to intervene to stop something like this. a truck can be plowing into a

crowd before anyone can respond. of course, someone pulls a knife. it's up to an officer to act, react, when he or she is confronted by something like this. it doesn't take a lot of planning, organization, but it can be very effective nonthelesnonthe le -- nonetheless. >> we heard the tube has been suspended as of right now. when something hilike this happens, is it typical they'll be looking at other places and assume it is not limited to what we're seeing here? >> lester, one of the great things about london, one of the most wonderful cities in the world, is the camera system in london is so unique. i've been at scotland yard before, and i've seen how they monitor the cameras. there are cameras at every intersection on every street. they'll see do they see any type

of coordination with either the truck or the vehicle that the individual with the knife might have gotten out of. then they'll back those cameras up. as you know, lester, they start just like the bull's-eye on a target where the incident took place and then they start backing up, both with the investigation as well as their review of cameras. and they'll do the normal things that the fbi or police departments would do in the country. they'll run down the vehicle, see if it was stolen, look at the license, the fingerprints of the individuals involved, try to develop is this a wider net. and as is important right now, lester, if these two events were in fact linked, are there any other events that are going to take place? i would suggest london metropolitan police are on a very high alert right now. >> i think it is safe to assume that alert is being noted in this country as well as other capitals and cities across yo p europe as we watch the camera

once again trained on the westminster bridge. paramedics and attendants treating an unknown number of casualties there. we're approaching the bottom of the hour. there are two unfolding situations in london right now. central london. one, an assailant tried to stab a police officer at parliament while the house of commons was in session, was shot. people reported hearing shots outside parliament. just a short distance away, the bridge you're seeing there, the westminster bridge, there has been an incident there that may have involved a truck plowing into individuals. we have seen a number of people treated on both sides of that bridge, and air ambulance on the scene. we've seen ambulances. we've seen people taken away on stretchers. our kelly cobiella is monitoring all this from our london newsroom.

recap what we know right now, kelly. >> all this started about 50 minutes ago, lester. it was 2:40 in the afternoon british time. would have been a busy afternoon right in the heart of london. the first reports is it came in around 2:40. an incident on westminster bridge, this is the bridge we keep seeing in pictures that leads straight to the steps of parliament. the initial reports were of a firearms incident on that bridge, according to met police. what we subsequently began to hear from witnesses as well as from the video that we were seeing was of a 4x4, someone driving a very large vehicle into crowds on that bridge. it will sound familiar because that's exactly what happened in berlin and in germany and in france, in the south of france, in terrorist attacks there.

there's been no official statement. i should be very clear that this is terror related at this point. police are not labeling it as anything other than a firearms incident. in terms of injuries, we understand from eyewitness reports -- again nothing confirmed from police -- that about half a dozen people, about six people, were injured on westminster bridge. it could have been more than that. again, these are preliminary numbers. secondarily, another potential scene. a man, according to witnesses, brandishing a knife at the houses of parliament, threatening an officer with a knife. an officer, according to one official, member of the house of -- the leader of the house of commons saying that an officer was stabbed on the parliament grounds and that that attacker was then shot. this was a very busy day in parliament. it would have been a full

building. people inside have been told to shelter in place, to stay in their offices, barricade themselves inside in case there are other potential attackers inside that building. parliament has been locked down. work stopped. the prime minister is said to be safe and at work. her exact location undischolose at this time. that's where we stand, lester. >> thank you. we want to note president trump has been briefed on what is known so far about these incidents in london there as the camera widens out and you see parliament and big ben. we want to go to nbc's bill neely right now. he's making his way closer to the scene. describe what london is like right now as you make your way there. >> the streets are actually beginning to empty, lester, and an ambulance has just gone past me at some speed. police are pushing people back

from the immediate westminster area. adding to all the caution that kelly has outlined, i would have to say one thing. the westminster area is extremely well secured. it is usually teeming with armed police obviously protecting the houses of parliament and it's been a very, very long time since there was a terror incident there. i recall it was in the 1980s when a conservative mp was blown up when his car rigged with explosives detonated as it exited the houses of parliament. that is roughly the same area where this assailant who is said to have been armed with a knife was taken down by police officers. but again, as kelly has rightly said, we should exercise caution at the minute. no one is actually using the

words terror. there are two incidents. it would be a huge coincidence if they weren't related, but we cannot necessarily link them at the moment. >> bill, as you were speaking, we just got word london police, the metropolitan police, in london say they are in fact treating the westminster attack as a terrorist incident, quote, until we know otherwise. that is the way they are approaching right now. they seem to be suggesting these are all one incident. you see police officers right now running back toward the bridge. we don't know what may be prompting the sudden rush up there as they make their way. there appears to be a lot of activity around that car. we've heard about a 4x4, but there is a vehicle that looks like a small suv on the sidewalk. we don't know if that is the vehicle that took aim at people as they were on the bridge, you can see a great deal of activity there. and we have seen activity on

both sides of the bridge. those would be evidence collectors there in white who will process the crime scene and try to glean whatever evidence they can find. we don't know if the same person who may have drirven across the bridge is the same person who pulled the knife. the first priority treating those who have been hurt, the casualties, and certainly trying to assess whether this is limited to what we're seeing here or if this is part of a broader attack. as kelly noted, we have seen a number of low-tech terror type incidents in recent months. nice france, a truck in berlin, a truck into a crowd in france a few days ago, orly airport,

police attacked by a man who tried to steal one of the officer's weapons. we have seen a pattern of attacks here that would not take a great deal of coordination or know-how. this is being considered by metropolitan police right now as a terrorist incident until they know otherwise. camera once again moving back down across the bridge. tourist buses stopped. vehicles on the bridge stopped. we presume these people have been evacuated, but many of them will also be witnesses to the apparent horror that took mapla on the westminster bridge this afternoon. we have noted this is a very, very popular tourist area. >> i can add something to that if you want. >> yeah, go ahead. >> just worth noting that a few years ago, two assailants in a car knocked down a man who turned out to be a british soldier and using a machete, one

of those assailants rather brutally murdered that man and then brandished the machete to cameras who turned up. that was a clear terrorist incident against a man who was a british soldier. again, we don't know what the motivations of the person or people involved in this incident was, but as you have noted we've seen it before. we've seen it in israel. we've seen it where people brandishing knives attack soldiers. we have seen it in nice using a vehicle. this is the very easy way that people of a certain persuasion can kill in the modern day. >> bill, we have certainly seen over the last few years a series of terror incidents in central europe, but -- notwithstanding the incident you mentioned there. has london, has the u.k., felt somewhat apart from that and

safer for no other reason than having a body of water between them and the rest of europe? >> you're right, lester, about two things. there is a body of water. the anti-terror police, mi-5, the foreign intelligence services have been tracking numerous terror plots, but also people in the u.k. remember the bombings on the 7th of july, the day after london was awarded the olympics. there were bombings that killed more than 50 people. a lot of people in london have been wondering not if they were going to be attacked, but when. of course london endured, as did so many british cities, decades of ira terrorism in the 1970s and 1980s, so this city is well

used to terror incidents, but as citizens in jerusalem and tel aviv have discovered, you don't have to have explosives. you don't have to know how a mercury tilt switch device works. you can use a knife or as i said a few years ago a man with a ch machete and create terror. people in london i think are shocked today. we are, all of us, braced, looking around wondering is this the incident or rather like the paris attacks when there were four separate locations, is there more to come? there's plenty of evidence of police on the streets right now. i'm looking at them. they'll be braced for more. >> thank you as we watch that medical helicopter lift off there from the lawn in front of

parliament, possibly taking a casualty away from that scene as we look at the wider shot of the thames and the police activity that extends from parliament to the westminster bridge from what we believe is a vehicle attack. the attack on the parliament grounds themselves was a knife attack. police responding with gunfire. we want to go right now to kristen welker. she is at the white house. kres t kristen, what is the white house saying about this and how much has the president been briefed? >> the white house confirming that the president has been briefed. this all started to unfold as the president was holding a meeting with women about health care. of course, that was the big focus here at the white house this morning ahead of that big vote that is expected on capitol hill tomorrow for the republican's plan to repeal and replace obamacare, but of course now the focus is going to shift. the president asked about this himself.

he said this is big news. we have a little bit of what president trump had to say moments ago. >> sorry. we're just getting an update on london. some big news having to do with london. >> lester, having covered the white house for several years, i can tell you that the president will continue to get updates throughout the day from his national security team. they will monitor this situation very closely. i was back in the west wing, and i can tell you that top officials huddled, trying to get the latest information on exactly what is happening right now. of course, the united states has no closer ally than britain. in fact, president trump met with the prime minister of britain, theresa may, back in january. so i would expect that we are going to see phone calls take place at the highest levels as the white house continues to monitor this ongoing situation,

lester. >> all right, kristen welker at the white house where they're obviously paying close attention to this as they are in cities likely across europe and across the world here as this appears to be a terror attack. that's how metropolitan police in london are characterizing it right now until they get information to the contrary. you can see the littered scene there along the westminster bridge where paramedics have been treating victims of this attack. we don't have a number right now. sounds like we may have -- i thought maybe we had a witness there. i guess they cut away from it. if we hear from someone, we'll get to it. early indications there are as many as a half a dozen people on the bridge, but that is not confirmed by the metropolitan police. there was apparently a vehicle involved. we don't know if it is that gray van there. it's hard to know right now where that vehicle is. a lot of activity right there.

i believe we have bill bratton with us right now, former new york city police commissioner and nbc security analyst. bill, are you with us? >> yes, i am. good morning. >> bill, good morning. i know this is the fear of every police department, a low-tech atta attack. on the job, you had to worry about everything from nuclear attacks to plane attacks, but something like this, is there a defense? >> actually, there is, but the reality is that there's no perfect defense. all the cross streets going to the parade route were based blocked off in new york city by the big heavy duty dump trucks the city has. that's a precaution we never used in years past, but now routinely use. it has all the hallmarks of an

event encouraging someone to use knives or a vehicle. suspect attempts to flee the scene and encounters what are probably metropolitan police officers in the vicinity of the parliament buildings right there at the westminster bridge. at least one of those officers fired and killed the suspect. still undetermined the last information i had a few moments ago as to whether there was a law enforcement officer stabbed in that incident. that seems to still be up in the air at the moment. >> that's one of the early reports we had. early reports are not always the most accurate. >> everything is preliminary here. always start off with preliminary. >> i know that new york city has dealt with the real thing, but certainly preparing for this sort of thing is a daily occurrence. on my way here just an hour ago,

i saw new york city tactical teams at one of the landmark locations here in the city. it is part of life and the expectation of these sorts of things, isn't it? >> right. well, in new york city particularly, new york residents and tourists alike cannot not notice the police. during my time as police commissioner, we increased almost 1400 of specially trained officers with the heavy weapons and the armament and the specialized vehicles so that at any given time in new york city there's quite a few of these officers. as they have just done this morning as a result of what happened in london, they went on high alert. a number of them have been positioned around government buildings. the city always concerned about the copy cat or the idea this might be part of a larger series of events planned for multiple cities. we are very, very fortunate that these sources weresources were

over the last few years. the inspired attack is the one that we're most fearful of. >> bill bratton, bill, if you can hang with us, i'd appreciate it. camilla is someone who rely on for information about the royals. camilla, you were a witness to some of the activity. can you tell us where you are and what you've seen? >> earlier today, i was at the very modern addition to the traditional houses of parliament that your viewers will be familiar with. basically it's annexed by a corridor that's outside. people walk to it to get to the main chamber. that's where this incident has taken place. i was in this modern building next door. we heard some gunshots. we then heard an absolute commotion. people being forced up the escalator having to run.

the calls went out to run, run, run. we ran to the back of the building. obviously an immediate police presence through the glass doors at the end. something going on down past the escalators. having now been in a lockdown situation, we're trying to get information as you are, but the understanding is there has been this incident on the bridge very close. i've just walked throughout some buildings because the police have been ushering us to get further and further into safety and away from where the incident happened. an enormous police presence on the bridge where iconic red buses in london stopped in their tracks. obvio

obviously, the houses of parliament on lockdown. >> you indicated you were aware of something happening at the bridge. was anyone able to see out the window and see exactly was taking place? >> not exactly where i was because we were in the back of the building. but the building i'm in is an atri atrium. there's huge glass doors. from there, we could clearly see suddenly a major police presence. usually there's cars driving past, there's tourists. almost within minutes of the gunshots being heard and people being told to run, run, run, the entire area became on lockdown. we can very easily see there has been a complete lockdown of that area. we know that the station is being closed, and we know from this being in westminster everybody is being told to move away from where the incident happened. people are being told to move to the safety of their offices. i've been moved east into a

building that we've been assured from a police officer that we're all safe here and the building is surrounded. there is an ongoing element to it. >> you are essentially in lo lockdown and not free to leave the building right now. >> yes. everyone who has been outside both in the old building and some of the newer buildings are in lockdown. police have surrounded the entire area. there's no getting in. there's no getting out. >> the house of commons was in session. they're being kept in the same area? >> yes, all of the lawmakers will have been told the same advice as us to go to the safety of their offices. wednesday is a very busy day in parliament. we have theresa may talking about article 15 next week. there's a sense here that, a, it is a very populated time to be

in westminster this week. and you get the sense, yes, people have had to be moved to positions of safety from where the main incidents happened. >> camilla, we're glad you're safe. thank you for calling in. please let us know if the situation changes there. i want to go to jeremy bash right now, phformer chief of stf with the department of defense and the cia. jeremy, would there be any kind of intelligence that would point to this or is this one of those inspired attacks that just doesn't pop up on the radar? >> the internal security service in london is tearing apart any potential evidence that they have. they are looking at the vehicle. they're running the plates. they are taking biometrics,

fingerprints, and other information from the alleged assailant that was shot. they are going to scour social media and look at any claims of responsibility that isis or any other known terror groups have put out there on the internet. so they're going to look at any potential threats that have indicated an attack on london, an attack on parliament, or an attack on these particular targets. we should note, lester, that this apparent terrorist attack -- again, at this hour it's not fully confirmed that it is a terrorist attack, but this comes just one day after the u.k. joined the united states department of homeland security in issuing a terror warning about aviation security about flights emanating from the middle east. the u.k. did join that terror alert and terror threat and banned certain electronic devices from those aircraft. we don't know if this attack is in any way linked to that terror threat stream or potentially a

response to those actions by the government. it's too soon to tell. i think what people are focusing mostly on now is that isis has in the past, particularly in 2014, directed all of its followers to take any measure at all to attack, quote, the disbeliever. they said in their published statements you should run over them with a car. you should stab them with a knife. eff seen the st-- we have seen g attacks before. to a counterterrorist official in the british secret service in mi-5 or here in our own american intelligence agencies, this has the hallmarks of a terrorist attack, but we don't know what the motives are. >> metropolitan police calling it a terror attack until they get information otherwise, but you have been on the inside, jeremy, when these things happen in europe typically. what does that trigger in

washington? >> first, i think the main locus of activity is the counterterrorism center here in northern virginia and the washington, d.c. suburbs. they have the lead to take all information in the government, all open source information, information that isis has put out online and any classified intelligence that's in the holdings of the national security agency or the cia or any of our other agencies, pull it together. look to see if anyone has claimed responsibility. if there's any information on these acssailants and links to terror groups, and we should not forget about al qaeda. most people focus on isis. al qaeda remains a very potent terror threat. that's the work of the national counterterrorism center in washington and the d.c. suburbs. they're going to be talking to their british counterparts and their counterparts throughout the middle east and throughout

europe. one of the things that happens in a situation like this is counterterrorism experts who have a history of working together, they get on the phone on secure lines very quickly. they throw up a video teleconference. they'll share any tidbit of information they have that can lead them to analyze this threat and protect any other areas from future threats. >> as you've been speaking, we're still seeing injured casualties being taken away from the scene. police and fire and paramedics have set up a robust triage s setup there. we have seen what appear to be injured people all along the length of the westminster bridge where we got the initial information of shots fired in the afternoon in london and then word of a vehicle that was plowing through the crowds of people on the bridge itself. you can see the famed double decker buses stopped where they were when this happened. there's a photograph taken

earlier. photos we're just getting in right now of people on the sidewalk, on the bridge who were apparently victims of this vehicle that had plowed through the crowds. we don't have a number right now. early indications again that this began with a knife-wielding assailant on the grounds of parliament, and he was shot by police. the parliament placed on lockdown. again, these are the first images now that we're getting of people who have been injured. this is obviously right after it happened because it's before you see any paramedics at the scene. here's a shot of paramedics rushing to the scene, and police and security now moving toward parliament as they begin to secure the area. again, they have to assume that the attack or whatever is happening is broader than just what we are seeing here. this might reach into other areas of london, so a massive coordination job.

there's a front of the vehicle that this -- this may be the vehicle that drove into the crowds. you can see the damage to that vehicle. we were told it was a 4x4 vehicle that crashed into the crowds of people. let's go back to kelly cobiella right now. she's been monitoring the situation from our london newsroom. what else are you hearing right now, kelly? >> we're starting to get some information and some eyewitness accounts from people who are at the houses of parliament. you just spoke to one of them, one of our contributors on royal stories, but we're also hearing from a man who we work with quite often who was on the grounds at the time. he said he heard something happening on westminster bridge, but he didn't see it. he saw what he described as a heavy set man running toward the gates leading into parliament, the gates that are normally used by road traffic.

this eyewitness of our's says he ran in through the gate holding what looked to be a knife, attacked a police officer with that knife, the police officer fell to the ground, managed to get away from him, then he ran toward the entrance of the house of commons, which is the part of parliament used by the members. he was then shot by police. it's not clear how many times he was shot, but we do hear from the house of commons leader that he was -- that he was shot by police. that has not yet been confirmed by the met police. so two separate incidents, lester, as you mentioned, this incident on westminster bridge and then again the incident at the houses of parliament. it is entirely possible that it was -- that it all took part with simply one attacker who drove across the bridge into

clouds, g crowds, got out of the car, and charged the houses of parliament. >> are you hearing anything in terms of the number of casualties on the bridge? kelly, you still with me? okay. we lost kelly there, but we continue to watch. paramedics are on the scene right now. they've been treating the casualties. there was an initial report of six. a number of people on the sidewalks down that apparently have been hit by a vehicle. you see some of the photos before help had arrived. people on the pavement, on the sidewalk, and they are still treating them now. late afternoon there in london. how this relates to the assailant and whether it is the same person at parliament is the big question right now. we heard from our correspondent bill neely that there is -- many

people are leaving the streets of london right now. we'll continue to follow the story as details warrant. we'll come back on the air tonight. i'm lester holt in new york. good day. how's everyone doing? my name is chad dimera, and on behalf of dimera enterprises, i would like to thank everybody for making it out to yet another beautiful event--charity event. if we can just... [applause] um, now, uh, i can't go any further without showing some serious apprection for an extraordinary woman. she not only helped plan the horton center book drive but also this amazing event, and she is extraordinary and talented and beautiful, and she also happens to be my wife, so i'd like her to come up and join me, if she would. ladies and gentlemen, abigail dimera. [applause] all right, maybe she just-- maybe a little bit more. maybe a little louder.