Last Wednesday, March 22, another terrorist attack occurred. The victim city this time, again, was London, England. The attack occurred downtown, where the driver of a van drove across the Westminster bridge near the England Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. The attack lasted 82 seconds total, killing five (including the attacker) and injuring an additional 50 people.
The attacker was identified as Khalid Masood. As he was crossing the Westminster Bridge, he turned off the road and onto the sidewalk, where he started to hit pedestrians. He killed three and injured countless others, including a woman who jumped into the freezing River Thames for escape. After harming those on the bridge, Masood crashed his car into the sidewalk of the Parliament buildings, injuring dozens in the process.
After crashing his car, Masood got out of the car and continued his attack on foot, armed with a knife. According to The Guardian, Masood killed Keith Palmer, an unarmed police officer on the scene. After killing the police officer, Masood was shot dead. Masood was 30 years old, with a criminal background that drew interest from M16 but resulted in a dead end. However, the motive behind Masood’s rage is still unknown. ISIS claimed that Masood was a “soldier of Islam,” but these claims are being dismissed.
The United States reached out their sympathies to London and the people of England. White House Speaker Sean Spicer spoke a message from President Trump regarding the attacks. “We obviously condemn today’s attack in Westminster which the United Kingdom is treating as an act of terrorism, and we applaud the quick response that the British police and their first responders made to the situation. The victims in this are in our thoughts and our prayers. The city of London and Her Majesty’s government have the full support of the U.S. government in responding to the attack and bringing those to justice who are responsible,” he said. The United States and allies will continue to monitor terrorist activity in the Middle East and around the world in order to help further prevent terrorist activity.
