Four Dead, 20 Injured In Westminster Terrorist Attack

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By Russ Read

Four people have died as a result of a terrorist attack in London Wednesday, including one police officer and the perpetrator, according to London police.

The attack began in the early afternoon in Westminster, the United Kingdom’s seat of government. An unidentified attacker drove a car over Westminster bridge, hitting several members of the public, including three police officers. The car then crashed near the U.K. parliament building, prompting the terrorist to exit the vehicle and stab a police officer to death before being shot and killed. Two other victims also succumbed to their injuries. At least 20 others were also injured.

“As you know we declared this as a terrorist incident, and the counter terrorism command are carrying out a full-scale investigation into the events today,” said London Metropolitan Police Assistant Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley in a statement.

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"Sadly I can confirm now four people have died." Latest updates on the Westminster attack here: https://t.co/9iCIyr8faN pic.twitter.com/u4QwMqEnAw

— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) March 22, 2017

Rowley added the suspected perpetrator was shot do death by a firearms police officer — a cop trained and authorized to use a gun. Unlike the U.S. and other Western countries, not all British police carry firearms while on duty.

“We now of course have an ongoing operation and while we currently believe there was only one attacker I’m sure the public will understand us taking every precaution in locking down and searching the area as thoroughly and exhaustively as possible,” said Rowley.

While it is unclear whether or not the perpetrator had any ties to a terrorist organization, the use of a car as a weapon is a common tactic used by radical Islamic terrorist organizations from France to Israel. No terrorist organization has taken credit for the attack as of the writing of this article.