A man in his late 20’s was arrested Tuesday morning after a suspected vehicular terror attack.
The driver of a silver Ford Fiesta reportedly swerved to hit multiple pedestrians and bicyclists waiting on a street corner out in front of the Houses of Parliament in London, according to The Telegraph. The driver then attempted to escape and ram their vehicle through a security checkpoint, but the errant Ford became lodged on a post. Armed police officers in the vicinity descended on the immobilized Ford, arresting the driver.
The suspect, reportedly from the Midlands, located in Central England and was described as “uncooperative” by law enforcement, and transported to an undisclosed police station in southern London. They are reportedly not known to MI5 or the country’s counterterrorism police, according to the BBC. No weapons were found in the suspect’s vehicle, though the location of the event has caused it to be treated by British authorities as a terror attack.
“Given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident and the investigation is being led by officers from the Counter Terrorism Command,” stated Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu.
“At this early stage of the investigation, no other suspects at the scene have been identified or reported to police. There is no intelligence of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the [U.K.] in connection with this incident,” he added.
Of the three known to be injured in the incident, one received treatment on-scene, and two were hospitalized. One of the latter has already been discharged, while the other remains under care with serious, but non-life-threatning injuries.