A driver whose car collided with several people before crashing outside Britain’s Parliament has been charged with attempted murder, police in London said Saturday. The Metropolitan Police force said Salih Khater, 29, is charged with trying to kill police officers and trying to kill members of the public. Three people were injured when Khater, a British citizen originally from Sudan, struck a group of cyclists before colliding with security outside Parliament on Tuesday. Police say that the crash was an attempt to kill police officers. One injured person was treated at the scene and two were taken to hospitals, where they were treated and released. Advertisement Within minutes of Tuesday’s morning rush-hour crash, police flooded the streets around Parliament and cordoned off an area of the city that is home to government buildings and tourist attractions including Westminster Abbey. Salih Khater, 29, is charged with attempted murder. (Facebook) The crash came less than 18 months after an attacker plowed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four people, then fatally stabbed a police officer before being shot dead in a courtyard outside Parliament. Less than three months later, a van rammed into pedestrians on London Bridge before three men abandoned the vehicle and attacked weekend revelers in the nearby Borough Market. Eight people were killed and 48 injured. In June 2017, a far-right extremist drove a van into a crowd of worshippers leaving a London mosque, killing one man and injuring eight others. Police say that because of the methodology and iconic location, prosecutors are treating the Parliament crash as terrorism, although Khater has not been charged with a terrorist offense. Khater is due to appear in a London court Monday.<doc-sep>(CNN) A 29-year-old man who deliberately drove a car into a crowd outside Britain's Houses of Parliament has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, the Metropolitan Police in London said Saturday. Salih Khater of Birmingham, a Sudanese-born UK national, is scheduled to appear in court Monday, police said in a news release. Salih Khater Three people were hurt early Tuesday when the car collided with cyclists and pedestrians as well as police officers before crashing into barriers outside Parliament, police said. A man and a woman were treated in the hospital but were discharged, and another man was treated at the scene. Parliament was in summer recess, meaning the normally bustling center of British government was emptier than usual. Khater was arrested at the scene. Nobody was killed and no weapons were found at the scene.<doc-sep>A man has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences after three people were injured when a car crashed into security barriers outside Parliament. The silver Ford Fiesta hit cyclists and pedestrians at 7.37am before crashing into the security barriers. Sky sources say the suspect - a man in his 20s - has been identified and is known to police in the Midlands, where he is from. Three people were treated at the scene, two of whom were taken to hospital. A woman has serious but not life-threatening injuries while a man has been discharged. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Westminster crash: Handcuffed man led away The driver, wearing a white shirt and a black hooded puffer jacket, was detained at the scene. Advertisement The man was led backwards away from the car - which was registered in Nottingham - after police held him at the scene for a few moments. The Metropolitan Police said: "There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage." Image: The damage to the front of the car is clearly seen from the air Image: Forensics officers are at work at the scene In a statement, Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said: "There is no intelligence at this time of further danger to Londoners or to the rest of the UK connected to this incident. "Our priority is to formally establish the identity of the suspect and his motivation if we can. He is not currently co-operating." He said it appeared the suspect had not previously been known to MI5. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Crash 'appears to be deliberate act' A number of armed officers appear to have now been stood down at the scene, and forensics officers have begun investigations. A later update added: "While we are keeping an open mind, the Met's counter-terrorism command is leading the investigation into the #Westminster incident." The Met has appealed for information from anyone nearby at the time of the incident. Video shows the car driving next to Parliament Square, before turning toward Westminster Abbey. This footage shows the moment a car appears to deliberately drive through cyclists and crash into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Read more on the story here: https://t.co/GYpGx05O8K pic.twitter.com/0XYkEyXmn6 — Sky News (@SkyNews) 14 August 2018 An ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, and the car swerves left, crossing oncoming traffic and the pavement, before crashing into the barrier. A police officer jumps out of the way as the crash happens. :: Westminster crash: What we know so far British Transport Police said they would have more officers on patrol around the country after the incident. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Armed police at Westminster car crash Superintendent Chris Horton said: "We know incidents such as this are likely to cause concern, so our officers will be highly visible both on board trains and at stations. "We are there to reassure the travelling public so please don't be alarmed if you see our officers, including firearms officers, on your journey." One witness said he saw the car hit a cyclist, before accelerating toward the barriers and hitting them. Image: Bicycles on the pavement near the scene of the incident Image: Police patrol the area after another terror attack in the heart of the capital Mark White, Sky's home affairs correspondent, said: "Eyewitnesses are telling us this vehicle was travelling at speed, headed onto the opposite side of the road where a number of cyclists were waiting at the traffic lights, heading into Parliament Square. "The vehicle then collided with those cyclists before crashing into the security barrier." Witness Ewalina Ochab said: "I think it looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Police jump barrier to Westminster crash She added: "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 suspect did not get out of the car, she added. According to witnesses, cyclists were seen "lying in the road" after the crash. Image: Police vehicles blocked roads after the incident Westminster station was closed for a period of time, while streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens were cordoned off but are now starting to reopen. A police vehicle removal truck was waved through at about 12.30pm. Parliament is in summer recess, and so there are fewer politicians working in London, but there are numerous other people working nearby. MI5's headquarters is also nearby. Image: A police sniffer dog checked the scene after the crash One man who witnessed the crash told Sky News it was "very very dramatic". He added: "I seen smoke coming out of a vehicle. It's all been high speed - you've got the specialists coming in… it's been dramatic." :: Parliament crash: Witness describes 'speeding car then a scream' Bus driver Victor told Sky News: "I stopped the bus because of the crash, and police told us to move back. "I think it's not a regular traffic accident, because there's a barrier there. So I don't know why someone would drive into the barrier." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Westminster crash scene from above A COBRA meeting was scheduled to take place at 2pm, but no cabinet ministers were expected to attend. Prime Minister Theresa May said: "My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response." Donald Trump tweeted: "Another terrorist attack in London... These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Sky's policing analyst Graham Wettone said: "The officers will be looking at the actual scene itself, the route the vehicle came in and trying to establish who is behind it and the reason why - and if there is any support network helping this individual - or if it's just literally someone who has had a road traffic collision. "That vehicle is likely to remain in place - they want to make sure it's got nothing in it that's suspicious before they go in and examine it. "In any incident like this… we've got so many other important venues and locations, they will be increasing visibility and security patrols just to make sure nothing else happens." Steel and concrete barriers were added outside Parliament after the 2017 Westminster Bridge terror attack.<doc-sep>
BRITISH counter-terrorism police are carrying out three searches in central England as part of their investigation after a car slammed into security barriers outside the UK Parliament in London. The driver, a 29-year-old British man, was arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. He is being held under provisions in the UK’s Terrorism Act, and is being questioned at a south London police station. Police say the silver Ford Fiesta, which was privately owned, had travelled from Birmingham to London late on Monday night (local time). It was then driven around the Westminster and Whitehall area from approximately 6am until the crash at 7:37am Tuesday. Police say there have been no other arrests in connection with the investigation. #BREAKING: London police say the suspect arrested after collision near Houses of Parliament is not cooperating with police and appears to have been a 'deliberate act' - @AP — Alisha Ebrahimji (@AlishaEbrahimji) August 14, 2018 The incident occurred when the car smashed into the Parliament’s barriers, colliding with several cyclists and pedestrians. Armed officers could then be seen surrounding the car before leading a man, understood to be the driver, away in handcuffs. Dozens of emergency vehicles were seen swarming around Parliament Square with members of the public ordered to stay clear of the area. One of the victims was treated for minor injuries at the scene, while a man and a woman were taken to with non-life-threatening injuries. Both were discharged overnight. “We have treated two people at the scene for injuries that are not believed to be serious and have taken them to hospital,” London Ambulance said in a Twitter statement. “Given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method, and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident,” London Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said. Although he had not been formally identified, the man was not believed to be known to police, Mr Basu added. “There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched,” police said in a statement. “No weapons have been recovered at this stage.” UK Prime Minister Theresa May says in tweet that her thoughts are with those injured in the incident outside parliament. Witness Jason Williams told ITV’s Good Morning Britain police were telling him to “get out, get out of the area”. He described the incident as “very, very scary”, adding that he was feeling “very anxious”. He said he’d seen a man driving a vehicle, “and he’s gone into one of the bollards.” Mr Williams recalled a loud bang and immediately thought “Oh no, this is another terrorist attack.” “So I’ve just started to run and the police were saying ‘get out, get out of the area’. “It (the car) was behind me. I didn’t see anyone else involved. I just saw this one vehicle, so it seems to be deliberate. Pedestrians hurt as car hits barrier at UK parliament, man arrested: https://t.co/nhoOnnvita pic.twitter.com/q6WUISjngx — Reuters UK (@ReutersUK) August 14, 2018 “I was very surprised (the police didn’t go in straight away). They seemed to be standing back. They were obviously a bit wary, like what’s going to happen next? The Telegraph reported another witness saying “it looked intentional — the car drove at speed and towards the barriers,” while another said he believed the car was travelling at up to 50mph. BREAKING: a car seems to have crashed into Parliament, lot of police activity here! pic.twitter.com/JMIzzz0ATc — Vincent McAviney (@VinnyMcAv) August 14, 2018 “I don’t know if it was a tip-off, a warning, that this was a bomb. There seems to be maybe about 200 police here now, and it’s all happened very quickly in the space of half an hour.” Video footage shows smoke coming from the bonnet of the vehicle and police officers urging people to leave the scene and find alternative routes. Reuters confirmed that streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens have been cordoned off as dozens of armed police have swooped on the scene. London-based TV journalist Vincent McAviney tweeted vision of the scene, saying there was “lots of police activity”. Breakfast TV in the UK carried footage of police officers pointing rifles into the silver car after it crashed.