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A car has crashed into pedestrians and been swarmed by police after an incident right outside London's Houses of Parliament.
Videos show the car smashing through Parliament Square in Westminster, and armed police arriving at the scene within seconds and apprehending a suspect.
Much still remains unclear about the incident, including the identities of anyone involved. But more is expected to become known as the hours and days go on.
As with all breaking news incidents, information is scarce and what information is there is is often unclear. But we will be seeking to round up everything we know for certain about the day's events – and everything we are still yet to find out.
A brief timeline of today's events
At about 7.40am on 14 August, a car is seen careening through Parliament Square. It first crashes into some cyclists, then moves off and through the mix of roads in the square before crashing into a barrier.
Just seconds after, armed police – probably hundreds of officers – swarm on the scene and take the driver out of the vehicle. He appeared to make no effort to resist and had stayed in the car throughout the aftermath.
Soon after that, police get to assembling a cordon around the whole of Parliament Square, and deep into Westminster. The Tube station is shut. People who work inside the cordon are not allowed to go into their offices – and their colleagues who had already arrived are not allowed to leave.
Over the morning, the cordon stays in place as further details are revealed about the incident and its aftermath.
What we know about the suspect
Very little is known about the man who was driving the car, but details are slowly being revealed.
He was wearing a black puffer jacket, and the car he was driving was a silver Ford Fiesta, which remained at the scene. He did not appear to say anything during or after the crash, according to eyewitness reports and videos.
Images posted to social media showed him wearing handcuffs and being led away from the scene soon after police arrived. He is now being held in a South London police station.
There were no weapons or anybody else in the car, police said.
How many injuries have been reported?
The London Ambulance Service has said that it treated three people in total, all with apparently non-life-threatening injuries.
It had said soon after the incident that it had taken two people into hospital. It then added that a third patient with "minor injuries" was treated at the scene.
At least some of those injured are thought to have been among the cyclists who were first hit by the car.
What has the response been from politicians?
Theresa May said her thoughts were with those injured in an incident outside parliament on Tuesday after two people were taken to hospital when a car crashed into security barriers.
Neither of those hurt were believed to have suffered serious injuries. Parliament is in recess and May is currently on holiday outside of the UK.
"My thoughts are with those injured in the incident in Westminster and my thanks to the emergency services for their immediate and courageous response," May said on Twitter.
May will not be attending the COBRA meeting that will take place to co-ordinate the response to the incident later today, because she is on holiday. It will be a meeting of officials and no cabinet members will be there.
What happens next?
The immediate police response to the incident will go on for hours – and the investigation will most likely take months or even years.
An emergency meeting of the government's Cobra committee will be held at 2pm, during which the top-ranking officials in the police and other bodies will discuss the ongoing threat and their response.
And police will have a heavier presence around the country over the coming days.
11:14 KEY EVENT
What we know so far
A driver has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences after a car collided with cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament.
The man, in his late 20s, is being held in custody at a south London police station after armed officers swarmed the scene following the suspected terror attack just before 7.40am on Tuesday.
Images posted to social media showed a man, wearing a black puffer jacket, surrounded by police and being led away in handcuffs from a silver-coloured Ford Fiesta.
There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, Scotland yard said.
The force said the crash is being treated as a “terrorist incident” and the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terror command is leading the investigation.
Two people were taken to hospital after being treated at the scene for injuries, which are not believed to be serious, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said.
Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with those injured in the incident and thanked the emergency services for their “immediate and courageous” response.
Witness Ewalina Ochab told the Press Association: “I think it looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers.”
She continued: “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 car appears to have been driven through cyclists before ploughing into the security barrier.
Footage shot outside Parliament showed cyclists helping at least one rider lying on the ground as ambulance crews and armed police arrived on the scene.
Cyclist James Maker, 30, of Chelmsford, Essex, passed the scene in Westminster minutes later and saw a woman injured on the ground and the car crashed into the barrier.
“I looked to the right-hand side and there was a cyclist on the floor, clearly injured,” he told the Press Association.
“It was a woman, they were clearly quite injured, they weren’t moving and they were in the recovery position.”
Jason Williams, 45, from Kennington, was walking to work when he saw the crash.
“I saw a car going at high speed towards Parliament. It hit a bollard,” he told the Press Association.
“It looked deliberate. It didn’t look like an accident. How do you do that by accident? It was a loud bang.”
Streets around Parliament Square, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens were cordoned off as police, ambulances and firefighters arrived.
Bus driver Victor Ogbomo, 49, passed the scene just after the crash.
“All I saw was the smoke coming out of a vehicle, a silver vehicle ... I just stopped the bus,” he said.
“The police said we have to move back, then in less than five minutes the response team came.
“They went to the vehicle, so we had to push back. I saw the car in the barrier, I didn’t know how it got there.
“I think someone was inside the vehicle because many police went towards the vehicle.”
He said officers had their guns out when they arrested the driver.
A number of armed police officers remain stationed at a cordon beside Parliament, while Westminster Bridge and Tube station are both closed.
The cordon was widened twice and sniffer dogs were seen scanning the area.
Scotland Yard said: “”At 7.37am on Tuesday August 14, a silver Ford Fiesta collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians, before crashing into barriers outside the Houses of Parliament.
“The driver of the car, a man in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene by armed officers.
“He has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in police custody.
“”He was arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences.
“There was nobody else in the vehicle, which remains at the scene and is being searched. No weapons have been recovered at this stage.”
A force spokesman added: “At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation.”
The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete.
The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people.
Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament.
The terrorist threat against the UK is seen as unprecedented.
In addition to five attacks that occurred last year, authorities say they have stopped 13 Islamist and four extreme right-wing plots since the Westminster atrocity in March 2017.
Police and MI5 are running at least 500 live operations involving roughly 3,000 active “subjects of interest” at any one time - while there is also a wider pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously featured in probes whose threat must be kept under review.
Earlier this year, the Government unveiled a refreshed counter-terror strategy.
Under the blueprint, MI5 intelligence will be shared with bodies outside the security community in an attempt to stop suspects before attack plots can crystallise, while anti-terror laws are to be strengthened to allow earlier interventions.
What happened?
At 07:37 BST a silver Ford Fiesta hatchback crashed into barriers outside Parliament in central London.
Three people were injured and the driver of the car was detained by officers at the scene.
Eyewitnesses have said the car appeared to deliberately hit members of the public.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The car can be seen crashing into a barrier
What happened to the driver?
The driver, a man in his late 20s, has been arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences and is being held at a south London police station.
There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons have so far been found.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said the suspect was not co-operating with police and had not yet been formally identified.
He added: "We don't believe this person is known to either MI5 or counter-terrorism police."
Is anybody hurt?
Two people were taken to hospital. A woman is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries, while a man has since been discharged.
A third patient was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Where did it happen?
The crash occurred in central London outside the Palace of Westminster. Parliament is not currently sitting.
An eyewitness said the vehicle was travelling westbound when it swerved into eastbound traffic.
What action have the police taken?
Police are treating the situation as a terrorist incident and the Met's Counter-Terrorism Command is leading the investigation.
Westminster Tube station was closed for entry and exit, and streets around Millbank and Parliament Square were cordoned off for several hours after the crash.
The cordon was widened twice and sniffer dogs brought to the area.
However, only the immediate area around the incident remains taped off and is screened by white temporary fencing.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The area around Millbank is on lockdown
Police called on the public to be vigilant and to dial 999 if they see anything suspicious that causes concern.
Neil Basu said there was "no intelligence at this time of further danger" to London or the UK as a whole connected to this incident.
British Transport Police said extra officers, including firearms officers, would be on patrol in England, Scotland and Wales following the attack.
A statement on the House of Commons website says tours of Parliament on Tuesday will resume as soon as possible for visitors who bought tickets in advance.
It advises people to approach the area from the direction of Charing Cross and enter via Portcullis House on Victoria Embankment, which remains open.
What did eyewitnesses see?
Barry Williams, a BBC staff member based at Millbank, said the car drove onto the wrong side of the road and "ploughed" into cyclists waiting at the lights.
"Then it swerved back across the road and accelerated as fast as possible, and hit the barrier at full pelt," he said.
Jason Williams told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme the driver had "driven at speed - more than 40 mph".
He said: "I saw at least 10 people lying down. I was told basically to move away, to run."
"It looked deliberate... it didn't look like an accident," he added.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Witness: "I saw a man drive towards Parliament at speed"
Ewalina Ochab, who also saw the crash, said: "It looked intentional - the car drove at speed and towards the barriers."
She said: "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 vehicle did not appear to have a front registration plate when it crashed, she added.
How have politicians responded?
A meeting of the government's emergency committee, Cobra, is being held on Tuesday afternoon. No cabinet ministers are expected to attend.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan thanked those who responded first at the scene and said he was in close contact with the Met Police.
Prime Minister Theresa May described the emergency services' response as "immediate and courageous".
She said her thoughts were with those injured in the crash.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his thoughts were with those hurt. Praising the emergency services, he said: "Their bravery keeps us safe day in, day out."
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Huge thanks to our emergency services for their rapid reaction to incident in Westminster this morning. My thoughts are with those injured."
US President Donald Trump tweeted: "Another terrorist attack in London... These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!"
What happens next?
BBC News home affairs correspondent June Kelly said: "The police will be looking at this man's background, his identity.
"They will be looking at his beliefs, his associates, also his mental state."
Reuters
There has been an attack outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London.
A car crashed into security barriers shortly after 7.30am on Tuesday morning.
Armed police, ambulances and firefighters responded to the incident.
Cyclists were hit in the crash and London Ambulance Service said it had taken two people to hospital but no-one was seriously hurt.
Officers were seen surrounding the vehicle before a man was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences.
"At this stage, we are treating this as a terrorist incident and the Met's Counter Terrorism Command is now leading the investigation," said the Metropolitan Police.
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No one else was in the car and no weapons have been found so far.
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."
The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete.
The measures were brought in after the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when a man ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people.
