'London more united than ever' after Buckingham Palace terror attack, Sadiq Khan says

'Standing together': Sadiq Khan has praised the Met Police
Alex Lentati
Fiona Simpson26 August 2017

Sadiq Khan has said “London stands more united than ever” after an attacker armed with a 4ft sword drove at police near Buckingham Palace.

A 26-year-old man from Luton is being quizzed by counter-terror police over the attack which left three officers injured.

The man swerved at a police van in a blue Toyota Prius in a restricted area of the Mall just after 8.30pm on Friday.

Unarmed officers approached the car and were injured as they tackled the young man when he reached for his weapon yelling "Allahu Akbar", Scotland Yard said.

He was sprayed with CS gas and is being held under the Terrorism Act, a spokesman added.

Armed police outside Buckingham Palace
PA

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan hailed the response “heroic and professional”.

He said in a statement posted his official Facebook page: “I'd like to thank the police officers at the scene for the heroic and professional way they responded to this incident - as we have seen on a number of occasions this year - and for ensuring that not a single member of the public was injured.

“My thoughts are with the officers who sustained minor injuries.

Police outside Buckingham Palace
@1amrighturwrong/Twitter

“Terrorists who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life will never succeed. London stands more united than ever.”

The Mayor added that the attack served as a reminded to Londoners that “the threat from terrorism in the UK remains severe.”

He added: “The police, together with the security services, are doing everything they can to protect the public and they already have an enhanced policing plan over the Bank Holiday weekend to keep the public safe.”

The Prime Minister posted on Twitter thanking the officers for their bravery.

She wrote: "I want to thank the officers who acted quickly and bravely to protect the public last night, demonstrating the dedication and professionalism of our police."

The officers suffered minor injuries during the arrest and were taken to hospital.

The suspect was arrested under the terrorism act and on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and assault on police.

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