The attack began early Wednesday afternoon as a driver in a gray SUV slammed into pedestrians on the bridge linking Parliament to the south bank of the River Thames. The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 yards (meters) from the entrance to Parliament. As people scattered in panic, witnesses saw a man holding a knife run toward the building. The attacker managed to get past a gate into Parliament's fenced-in New Palace Yard, a cobbled courtyard in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower.
The attacker fell to the cobbles just yards from the entrance to 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the parliamentary complex, busy with visitors and school groups. Beyond that, a corridor leads to the building's Central Lobby, flanked by House of Commons and House of Lords chambers. To get that far, the attacker would have had to evade the armed officers who patrol the Parliament complex in pairs, as well as Parliament's own security staff, who don't carry guns.
The attack unfolded near some of the city's most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlook the capital. It was halted after the attack, stranding visitors in the pods, with an aerial view of the attack scene.
A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including the assailant, and 40 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack."
Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did three pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had "catastrophic" injuries.
Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip, two Romanian tourists and five South Korean visitors were among the injured. Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Islamic extremism was suspected in the attack, Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said, adding that authorities believe they know the assailant's identity but would not reveal it while the investigation was ongoing.
The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was "highly likely." U.S. President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences, and in Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were to be dimmed in solidarity with London.
London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. Just this weekend, hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a "marauding" terrorist attack on the River Thames. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France.
The incident in London unfolded within sight of some of the city's most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that have views over the capital. It stopped rotating and footage showed the pods full as viewers watched police and medical crews on the bridge, which has at its north end Big Ben and Parliament, two iconic symbols.
The French Foreign Ministry said that three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured. Two Romanians were also among the injured, the country's Foreign Ministry said. 5 Korean tourist were injured, and no Indonesia citizens injured.
Historically, London has often been the target of terrorist attacks, from IRA campaigns in the 1970s and 80s to more recent Islamist plots. On July 7, 2005, four al-Qaida-inspired British bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52 people.
British security forces say they have thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but in recent years the U.K. has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France.
Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the U.K. to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker claiming to be motivated by Syria stabbed three people at a Londonsubway station.
The most gruesome recent attack occurred in 2013 when two Muslim converts of Nigerian descent attacked Lee Rigby, a British soldier who was walking down the street. The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death as bystanders watched in horror.
Previously, the history of strand terror's attack in London had been happened for several time begin on July 7, 2005, in the worst peacetime attack on Britain this century, four Al-Qaida-inspired bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52. Three of the bombers were British-born, all of Pakistani descent; the other emigrated from Jamaica; On June 2007, two men were arrested after they drove a Jeep Cherokee into Glasgow Airport's terminal in Scotland and set it ablaze.
Authorities said the attack was linked to a failed car bombing a day before in London's West End, where an ambulance crew outside a nightclub spotted smoke coming from a Mercedes that turned out to be rigged with explosives. A second Mercedes also filled with explosives was found hours later in an impound lot; On May 22, 2013, Two British-born, al-Qaida-inspired extremists stabbed off-duty soldier Lee Rigby to death on a busy south London street.
The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death. Images of attacker Michael Adebolajo holding a butcher knife and cleaver with bloodied hands in the moments after killing shocked people around the world and sparked fears of Islamist extremism in Britain.
Adebolajo and his accomplice were sentenced to life in prison. On December 5, 2015, An Islamic State-inspired taxi driver tried to behead a passenger in the east London Underground station of Leytonstone. Somali-born Muhiddin Mire was sent to a high-security mental hospital to serve a life sentence. The judge ruled that Mire had been motivated by events in Syria. The incident came days after Parliament approved British airstrikes on Islamic State group targets in Syria.
New Target, Old Strategy
A Terror's attacks had been happened in London. This attacks has been showing that the existance of a terror groups still strong eventhough several terror groups have been lost in the several battle field such us ISIS in Western Mosul, Iraq.
Those attacks have been signed that terror's attack would be spectre for their new target such us Europe and maybe some of South East Asia countries and South and Western Asia countries which judged by a terror group's as a new allies from their oldest enemies, United States of America.
Recently, a terror's groups have been used old strategy to launch their attack such as a bomb car, a suicides bombers like female and children suicide bombers, plane hicjacking including truck or bus slammed or crashed to the mass crowd which was happened in France, Belgium and London, England.
For London's terror attacks, any group of terrors have claimed their responsibility, but London’s security officers have been condemed that attacker comes from Islamist-related terrorism. This allegation is an early allegation without firmly evidences, and its could be triggered a new terror's attack in England or other countries in Europe.
I think the switch of a global political and security landscape could have brought a terror's group would be existed, because the effect of its is a number of countries would be excluded from the benefits of switch of global political and security landscape which could be aimed just for a small group of countries especially for US, Europe, Russia, China and other major players.
Those conditions could be made a terror groups have a new propaganda materials to maintain and to recruit their new members, so we can learn from a serial of a terror attacks and their existances could be framed from various conditions such as the impact of phery-phery Islam's political functions, global uncertainty situations which reduced by effect of protectionism against globalism era and the swich of a global political and security landscape.
So, do not judge Islam is a terror religions and Moslem is a terror communities because it could be shared a global uncertainty situations. Building a respectful, peaceful and harmonious dialogues between a global stakeholders including main countries of Moslems could be built a global harmonious relations among them.
*) The author is an international observer focussing on security and global politics. He earned his master from the University of Indonesia (UI). Previously, he got his bachelor degree at the University of Jember (Unej), East Java. Now, he is a Cersia's founder. Lives in Jakarta.
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Megapolitan 2017
The attacker fell to the cobbles just yards from the entrance to 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the parliamentary complex, busy with visitors and school groups. Beyond that, a corridor leads to the building's Central Lobby, flanked by House of Commons and House of Lords chambers. To get that far, the attacker would have had to evade the armed officers who patrol the Parliament complex in pairs, as well as Parliament's own security staff, who don't carry guns.
The attack unfolded near some of the city's most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlook the capital. It was halted after the attack, stranding visitors in the pods, with an aerial view of the attack scene.
A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including the assailant, and 40 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack."
Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did three pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had "catastrophic" injuries.
Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip, two Romanian tourists and five South Korean visitors were among the injured. Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Islamic extremism was suspected in the attack, Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said, adding that authorities believe they know the assailant's identity but would not reveal it while the investigation was ongoing.
The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was "highly likely." U.S. President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences, and in Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were to be dimmed in solidarity with London.
London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. Just this weekend, hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a "marauding" terrorist attack on the River Thames. Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France.
The incident in London unfolded within sight of some of the city's most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that have views over the capital. It stopped rotating and footage showed the pods full as viewers watched police and medical crews on the bridge, which has at its north end Big Ben and Parliament, two iconic symbols.
The French Foreign Ministry said that three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured. Two Romanians were also among the injured, the country's Foreign Ministry said. 5 Korean tourist were injured, and no Indonesia citizens injured.
Historically, London has often been the target of terrorist attacks, from IRA campaigns in the 1970s and 80s to more recent Islamist plots. On July 7, 2005, four al-Qaida-inspired British bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52 people.
British security forces say they have thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but in recent years the U.K. has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France.
Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the U.K. to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker claiming to be motivated by Syria stabbed three people at a Londonsubway station.
The most gruesome recent attack occurred in 2013 when two Muslim converts of Nigerian descent attacked Lee Rigby, a British soldier who was walking down the street. The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death as bystanders watched in horror.
Previously, the history of strand terror's attack in London had been happened for several time begin on July 7, 2005, in the worst peacetime attack on Britain this century, four Al-Qaida-inspired bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52. Three of the bombers were British-born, all of Pakistani descent; the other emigrated from Jamaica; On June 2007, two men were arrested after they drove a Jeep Cherokee into Glasgow Airport's terminal in Scotland and set it ablaze.
Authorities said the attack was linked to a failed car bombing a day before in London's West End, where an ambulance crew outside a nightclub spotted smoke coming from a Mercedes that turned out to be rigged with explosives. A second Mercedes also filled with explosives was found hours later in an impound lot; On May 22, 2013, Two British-born, al-Qaida-inspired extremists stabbed off-duty soldier Lee Rigby to death on a busy south London street.
The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death. Images of attacker Michael Adebolajo holding a butcher knife and cleaver with bloodied hands in the moments after killing shocked people around the world and sparked fears of Islamist extremism in Britain.
Adebolajo and his accomplice were sentenced to life in prison. On December 5, 2015, An Islamic State-inspired taxi driver tried to behead a passenger in the east London Underground station of Leytonstone. Somali-born Muhiddin Mire was sent to a high-security mental hospital to serve a life sentence. The judge ruled that Mire had been motivated by events in Syria. The incident came days after Parliament approved British airstrikes on Islamic State group targets in Syria.
New Target, Old Strategy
A Terror's attacks had been happened in London. This attacks has been showing that the existance of a terror groups still strong eventhough several terror groups have been lost in the several battle field such us ISIS in Western Mosul, Iraq.
Those attacks have been signed that terror's attack would be spectre for their new target such us Europe and maybe some of South East Asia countries and South and Western Asia countries which judged by a terror group's as a new allies from their oldest enemies, United States of America.
Recently, a terror's groups have been used old strategy to launch their attack such as a bomb car, a suicides bombers like female and children suicide bombers, plane hicjacking including truck or bus slammed or crashed to the mass crowd which was happened in France, Belgium and London, England.
For London's terror attacks, any group of terrors have claimed their responsibility, but London’s security officers have been condemed that attacker comes from Islamist-related terrorism. This allegation is an early allegation without firmly evidences, and its could be triggered a new terror's attack in England or other countries in Europe.
I think the switch of a global political and security landscape could have brought a terror's group would be existed, because the effect of its is a number of countries would be excluded from the benefits of switch of global political and security landscape which could be aimed just for a small group of countries especially for US, Europe, Russia, China and other major players.
Those conditions could be made a terror groups have a new propaganda materials to maintain and to recruit their new members, so we can learn from a serial of a terror attacks and their existances could be framed from various conditions such as the impact of phery-phery Islam's political functions, global uncertainty situations which reduced by effect of protectionism against globalism era and the swich of a global political and security landscape.
So, do not judge Islam is a terror religions and Moslem is a terror communities because it could be shared a global uncertainty situations. Building a respectful, peaceful and harmonious dialogues between a global stakeholders including main countries of Moslems could be built a global harmonious relations among them.
*) The author is an international observer focussing on security and global politics. He earned his master from the University of Indonesia (UI). Previously, he got his bachelor degree at the University of Jember (Unej), East Java. Now, he is a Cersia's founder. Lives in Jakarta.
Editor : M. Tohamaksun
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Megapolitan 2017