ISIS Claims Responsibility For London Attack

The Islamic State group says the attack outside the British parliament in London was carried out by one of its “soldiers.”

The IS-linked Aamaq news agency said Thursday that the person who carried out the “attack in front of the British parliament in London was a soldier of the Islamic State.”

It added that the person “carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition.”

IS has called on its supporters to carry out attacks against citizens of the U.S.-led coalition that has been targeting the group since 2014.

IS, who have been responsible for numerous bloody attacks around the globe, have also previously claimed certain attacks in a show of opportunism. Britain’s government has not identified the suspect.

Visible armed police officers were seen outside Sweden’s Parliament and the government’s headquarters following Wednesday’s London attack.

Parliament’s head of security told Expressen daily that safety measures had been taken “in consultation with the police” and Sweden’s domestic intelligence agency “due to the event in London.”

The Sapo agency had not changed the threat assessment against Sweden. In neighboring Denmark, the Security and Intelligence Service said it was following the situation after the events in London.

The agency said Thursday the situation led to no reason to change the assessment of the terror threat against Denmark, “which remains serious.” In Copenhagen, Denmark, heavily armed police also were seen outside the Danish Parliament.

A Romanian diplomat said a woman who plunged into the Thames when a SUV plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge Wednesday has successfully undergone surgery to remove a blood clot from her brain. She remains in a critical state.

Romania’s Ambassador to Britain, Dan Mihalache, told national news agency Agerpres Thursday that the woman had major problems with her lungs.

He said the woman, who has not been named, was transferred early Thursday to another London hospital that is better equipped to deal with her injuries.

Mihalache said her family was traveling to London. The woman and her boyfriend were on vacation in the British capital to celebrate his birthday this week. The boyfriend suffered a foot fracture.

Poland’s prime minister has suggested a link between the European Union’s migration policies and terrorism — and has used the London attack to make her point, even though the identity of the attacker has not been released.

Beata Szydlo spoke just hours before British Prime Minister Theresa May said police know the identity of the attacker, who was British-born.

Szydlo said on TVN24: “I often hear in Europe, in the EU: Let’s not link the migration policy with terrorism, but it’s impossible not to link them.”

The attack before the British Parliament left four people dead, including the attacker, and 29 hospitalized, including one Pole.

Poland’s nationalist government is at odds with the EU on a number of issues including migration.

AP

U.K. Police Raid Birmingham Property Reportedly Linked to London Attack

British armed police have carried out a raid on a property in the central city of Birmingham, after an attacker killed four people before being fatally shot by police within Parliament's grounds.

Police refused to say if the raid was linked to the rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power. But British media including the Press Association on Thursday quoted an unnamed witness saying that the operation was linked to the attack that also injured around 40 people.

A knife-wielding man drove an SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing the vehicle into the gates of Parliament on Wednesday. He scaled the fences and later fatally stabbed a policeman before being gunned down by officers. He hasn't been identified. Three pedestrians were among the dead.

Dead police officer named in London attack

Keith Palmer, the police officer killed in the Westminster attackThe officer who died in the attack has been named as Keith Palmer.

Scotland Yard’s Mark Rowley said Mr Palmer, 48, had 15 years service as a police officer and was a husband and father.

He said he would not comment on the identity of the attacker, although he suggested the police was aware of who the alleged assailant was.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May, who chaired a Cobra meeting this evening, said the full details of the “sick and depraved terrorist attack” were still emerging.

She confirmed there was one attacker and the UK’s threat level of “severe” will not change.

There will be an update from the Metropolitan Police later this evening, she said.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected,” she said.

“Let me make it clear today… any attempt to defeat those values through violence is doomed to failure.

“Parliament will come together as normal… and Londoners will get up and go about their day as normal… they will walk these streets, they will live their lives… never giving into terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.”

BBC

How terrorist driving an SUV ran over Pedestrians, left 4 dead,20 injured and a Cop stabbed.

In a similar fashion to the terrorist attacks in both Nice, France and Berlin, a man driving and SUV plowed through pedestrians who were walking the Westminster Bridge. According to DailyMail, the driver of the vehicle eventually crashed into a fence not far from Big Ben, but at that point he had injured or killed a significant number of people.
The crazed driver then fled the vehicle and pulled out a what has been described as a Bowie knives and began attacking police officers who were on patrol on the Parliament grounds.

One officer was killed after being stabbed with both weapons.

Before you get to assuming and judging the usual suspects, the man was described as “middle-aged” and “Asian”. He was shot multiple times by the armed police and was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.

In a eerie case of irony, or possibly not, this incident comes exactly one year to the day of the terrorist attack in Brussels, March 22, 2016.
R.I.P. to those who lost their lives, thoughts and prayers to those who are currently fighting to survive.
Scary world. We’ll have more as details become available.