London - British police have arrested
seven people in the investigation into an attacker who killed
three people and injured about 40 before being shot to death by
police, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer said on
Thursday.
Mark Rowley said the latest figures were that there were
four dead including the attacker and 29 people being treated in
hospital, seven of whom were in a critical condition. Police had
said late on Wednesday that the death toll was five.
Rowley said police had searched addresses in London,
Birmingham and other parts of the country in their
investigation.
"It is still our belief ... that this attacker acted alone
and was inspired by international terrorism. At this stage we
have no specific information about further threats to the
public," Rowley said.
He said there was a mix of nationalities among the dead but
gave no details. The victims were a policeman who was stabbed
and two members of the public, a woman in her mid-40s and a man
in his mid-50s.
The fourth dead was the assailant.
Police believe they know the identity of the attacker but
have not named him.
The attack on Wednesday started when the assailant sped
across Westminster Bridge in a car, ramming pedestrians along
the way. He then ran towards parliament and stabbed the
policeman before he was shot.
Three French high-school students aged 15 or 16, who were on
a school trip to London with fellow students from Brittany, were
among the injured.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was expected to
arrive in London to visit them at hospital, French media
reported.
Westminster Bridge remained cordoned off with a strong
police presence. The nearby Westminster underground train
station, normally a busy hub in the morning rush hour, was not
accessible from street level as it was within the cordon.
Parliament was due to convene later in what Prime Minister
Theresa May said late on Wednesday was a sign that the attack
would not disrupt British democracy or normal life in the
capital.