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Three hurt in London terror attack

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Man arrested after driving car into cyclists and pedestrians outside British Parliament

LONDON British police said they believe a man deliberately drove a car into people yesterday before ramming it into barriers outside London's Parliament in what appeared to be the second terrorism attack on the building in just under 18 months.

Three people were injured after the silver Ford Fiesta was driven through cyclists and pedestrians during the morning rush hour before smashing into a protective barrier on a lane used for accessing Parliament.

The driver, a man in his 20s, was arrested by armed officers at the scene moments later.

"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.

In March last year, Khalid Masood, 52, killed four people on nearby Westminster Bridge and stabbed to death an unarmed police officer in the grounds of Parliament before being shot dead.

AC Basu said the suspect was in custody but was not cooperating with detectives. The man was not believed to be known to security forces, he added.

"At this early stage of the investigation, no other suspects at the scene have been identified or reported to police," he said.

DANGER

"There is no intelligence of further danger to Londoners or the rest of the UK in connection with this incident."

No other weapons had been found, AC Basu said.

Footage showed the vehicle taking a wrong turn into a group of cyclists waiting at traffic lights before veering across the road and into a lane leading to Parliament before hitting the barrier as two police officers jumped to safety.

Two people were taken to hospital, and one was still receiving treatment for serious but not life-threatening injuries. A third person with minor injuries was assessed at the scene.

Armed officers swarmed the scene and cordoned off a large area around the Parliament building in central London, usually bustling with tourists and government workers.

"I saw the cyclists, injured cyclists. I don't know if he's hit these people, or if they've just dived to escape," witness Jason Williams told reporters. "It didn't swerve, there was not another car going behind him. It looked like it was planned."

Images shot by a Euronews journalist showed police pointing their guns at the vehicle shortly after the crash.

Footage on social media showed a handcuffed man being led away by heavily armed police.- REUTERS

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