Man Arrested For Terrorist Offenses After Car Crashes Into Barrier Outside UK Parliament

LONDON Police arrested a man Monday morning after a car collided with pedestrians and cyclists and crashed into security barriers located outside the city’s Houses of Parliament, the Metropolitan Police said .

Driving a silver Ford Fiesta, the suspect, who police described as a man in his late 20s, was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offenses . No weapons were recovered. 

Several pedestrians were injured, but police said no one appeared in  life-threatening condition. Three ambulance crews and a number of responders treated two people at the scene for injuries not believed to be serious, London Ambulance assistant director of operations Peter Rhodes said in a statement . They were later taken to a hospital. 

Streets in the area were cordoned off as police rushed to the scene, eyewitness video showed . The nearby Westminster Underground station was closed.

“I think it looked intentional the car drove at speed and towards the barriers,” eyewitness Ewalina Ochab told the Press Association. “I was walking on the other side [of the road]. I heard some noise and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement.”

The incident began at around 7:37 a.m. Londoners praised emergency response crews for their swift response. 

“The police said we have to move back, then in less than five minutes the response team came,” bus driver Victor Ogbomo, 49, told the Press Association.

Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson hailed the response as “another reminder of the bravery and professionalism of our emergency services .”

President Donald Trump condemned the incident as a “terrorist attack” on Twitter .

“These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!” he wrote.

Added security was installed outside of Parliament last year after a man mowed down pedestrians in Westminster, killing four, and then stabbed a police officer to death . The attacker, Khalid Masood, was shot dead by police.

This story has been updated with details of the arrest and eyewitness accounts.