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Attack Investigated as Terrorism; At least 10 Hurt in U.K. Attack; One Dead in U.K. Attack. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired March 22, 2017 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CHRISTINE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): -- they say out of respect and concern for what's happening in the United Kingdom here in London.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Christiane, I want you to stand by. The latest information we're getting, at least one person dead, 10 people injured. But there is breaking news we're following right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BLITZER: And let's get an update, first of all, on all of the breaking news emerging from what is now considered to be a terror incident in the U.K. One woman has died and a number of people have been hurt.

At least 10, we are now told, including some with what is described as catastrophic injuries when a car plowed through pedestrians on the very popular Westminster Bridge right outside of parliament in London. That according to the British Press Association.

Here is how one eyewitness described the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE.)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've walked past about nine injuries but some weren't so significant. Somebody was unconscious who did regain consciousness and was OK. I haven't -- I do -- I was -- this is a bit -- I'm in shock, to be honest, as I wasn't really expecting that this afternoon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. (INAUDIBLE.)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you (INAUDIBLE) as part of the (INAUDIBLE.)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was in -- on the ward and our doctor's office is there. And my SHA (ph) came running past me and I was, like, what's wrong? And he told me what happened.

And then, I went out and looked and all of us in the office were, like, what will we -- like, we need to do something? So, we all just went out and helped. Got blankets and (INAUDIBLE) others with me and helped them --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You train for these things but when --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not for that. I mean, I wasn't -- I wasn't expected that this afternoon. Yes, we train for these events, like emergency -- you know, your basic life support if you have to do that. How the triage people who need attention, you know, first.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Most had head injuries. Were they seriously injured that you saw?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't -- I -- so, I got stuck in with that one because they needed help at that time (INAUDIBLE.) There were -- I know there were other doctors going on scene (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Colleen?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Colleen Anderson (ph), thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Police were called to the area around 2:40 p.m. local time in London, after witnesses reported hearing gunshots, about two hours and 20 minutes or so ago.

We're told a police officer was stabbed inside the parliament gates. The assailant was then shot. We don't know the condition of the assailant. The British prime minister, Theresa May, has been evacuated from parliament.

The London mayor said the econ (ph) issued this statement, and I'm quoting him now, "There has been a serious incident near to parliament square this afternoon which is being treated as a terrorist attack until the police know otherwise."

The mayor added, "I have spoken to the acting commissioner. The metropolitan police service is dealing with the incident and an urgent investigation is underway. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. I would like to express my thanks to the police and emergency services who worked so hard to keep us safe and showed tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances."

The U.S. Embassy in London released the following statement. The U.S. embassy in London informs U.S. citizens that there has been a security incident on Westminster Bridge near parliament. U.S. citizens should heed guidance from local authorities and maintain security awareness. We strongly encourage U.S. citizens in the United Kingdom to directly contact concerned family members in the United States to advise them of your safety.

I want to bring in our International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson. He's in front of parliament right now. What details do you have, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Wolf, we have a vantage point now, looking down towards the parliament building there.

And I will just step out of the way. And what you're going to see there is the gate that the assailant used to run into New Palace Yard there. That's where the area where the police were able to tackle him. And that's the area where the emergency services, when they arrived on the scene, were treating both the policeman and the attacker.

As you can see now, that area is still surrounded by police vehicles, by several ambulances. I can still see, off to the side there, the number of police officers still at that gate. That is where in or one of the principle ways in and out of parliament buildings. And that is where the attacker ran, we understand, after he had rammed his car into the wall.

Now, the wall -- if you're looking at that image right now, the wall that he rammed this vehicle into would be about 50 yards to the left and just around the corner. And that would put you onto Westminster Bridge.

So, he ran down from where he rammed the vehicle into the wall, around the corner and in through that gate. So, as he went in through that gate, that is where we understand he was apprehended.

[13:05:11] The details precisely of how he got into the altercation with the police officer, stabbed him, we understand.

Precisely what happened beyond that, how long before the shots were fired, taking the assailant down, if you will, is not clear. But that very much at the heart of part of the investigation.

But, as we say or as we have been saying, all those 300 or so members of parliament inside the building initially forced to take cover on the floor and held inside the building for their safety. Not allowed to leave the building. Will be allowed to leave in groups of about 20, we're told.

But they will -- also, we understand, they will be questioned -- very likely questioned by the police for whatever information they can help with. The police appealing to the public. The images that they may have secured on the scene at the time.

Twitter pictures, anything on social media, the police asking the public to use discretion about the photographs that they might have taken of some of the injured people on the scene.

But the police appealing for any additional information, pictures, witnesses that can help them quickly get a strong and clear picture of precisely what took place -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I know they have incredibly large numbers of CCTV, closed circuit T.V. video cameras all over that area of London. And I assume that authorities are going through that video very, very carefully right now. Every few feet or meters, they have closed circuit T.V. in that part of London.

I want to show our viewers some dramatic video, people fleeing. And then, you're going to hear, in the middle of this, some gunshots.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was a gunshot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Let me bring in our CNN International Anchor and London Correspondent Max Foster. He's outside Scotland Yard. We just heard that statement, the Scotland Yard commander issuing a statement. Update our viewers on what we know right now, Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR AND LONDON CORRESPONDENT: A full terror investigation across London. They're looking at various different incidents or investigations, different lines of investigation. They've got an open mind on the motive. So, they, clearly, haven't got any clear direction on this investigation yet. They're keeping very open minded.

Some reports of someone in the river which we're trying to get to the bottom of. But I don't want to give away too much, at this point, simply because it is a live investigation. So, this is ongoing. It's very worrying for people in London.

But I have to say, I came down here from another part of London, just a mile away. And, actually, most of the city is carrying on as normal. It's just this lockdown. This very tight area around parliament. And that's a concern right now.

But certainly a huge worry and a huge investigation and an interesting response from the met (ph) police as well. This is their first real test since they've started a new way of handling these terror incidents, working very closely with European authorities.

But also, calling terror sooner rather than later, erring on that side of investigation, because they know, from the terror incidents they've had in France, they've had in Germany, that you have to act very quickly in those early stages of an investigation.

And we saw anti-terror police actually running into parliament very quickly after this incident happened which is interesting because, normally, they'd hold back from calling it terror too soon.

BLITZER: Phil based on what you're seeing where you are, you're close to the scene, the lockdown seems to be in place. We're approaching about two and a half hours since the incident started.

Let me get back to Max Foster. Max, you're there. Let me repeat the question for you. Two and a half hours later, the lockdown seems to be in place, right?

FOSTER: It is. We did get through the cordoned with a press pass, so it's been lifted to a certain extent, journalists being allowed in. If they were very worried about this area, then even we wouldn't be allowed out in the Scotland Yard, for example. But this is one of the, sort of, setups that they've created in times of these crises. They didn't expect this to happen quite so close to them, of course.

But we've been allowed this far. The cordoned isn't moving further out and further now. But we do know that there's a live investigation and police are investigating in different parts of London.

So, at the moment, they've locked down this area while the forensics comes in, for example, and they consider what happened here. And, you know, they've got to clear the air as well from that terrible incident which happened just over the -- over on the bridge there.

So, yes, the area is in lockdown. Parliament is moving around slightly more inside but it's still a huge degree of concern here.

[13:10:05] BLITZER: I'm sure there is and they're -- they want to make sure that they've completely, completely resolved the situation before they ease up on that lockdown.

I want to go to our International Correspondent Phil Black. He's also in London right by parliament. What are you seeing from your vantage point, Phil?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Behind me, Wolf, for any Londoner I think is a fairly eerie sight. This is the road known simply (INAUDIBLE.) It is the main artery of Britain's government district. It runs from the houses of parliament past Downing Street, the prime minister's residence, past all of the key departments of government, the treasury, the foreign office, the ministry of defense.

And you can see it is eerily quiet. This, only a couple of hours ago, was its usual bustling self. Hundreds -- many hundreds, probably thousands of people on this street, a combination of tourists and government workers. These are the people that you would normally find within this government district on any working day. These are the people that were here caught up in the middle of this incident as it unfolded.

When we arrived down here on the scene, shortly afterwards, what we saw was an operation going two ways. Firstly, the police trying to drive these huge crowds out of this area, steadily pushing people back while multiple ambulance and armed police were trying to get in.

What we've seen through the course of the afternoon so far, a multiple fast-moving ambulances, heading both in and out. All of it suggests what we're hearing from the ambulance service is true that there are multiple casualties.

The latest report from the London ambulance service suggests that they have treated at least 10 people. In addition to that, we're hearing reports like that from the British Press Association that suggests at least one person, a woman, has been killed as a result of this.

So, a significant incident. It all points to that, no doubt, one, where the police are not taking any precaution -- any chances, I should say. Every possible precaution. We've heard them say recently, in that statement from Scotland Yard, that they are keeping an open mind about this, that they are treating it as a terrorist attack until they have reason to consider it otherwise.

And so, what you are seeing is this enormous police presence here. Enormous but where we're standing, and we're only a few minutes' walk away from where this attack unfolded. We are seeing what is a pretty (INAUDIBLE.) Initially, the police that we met down here, they were, as you can imagine, very tense, very agitated.

Things are much calmer now that they have secured a pretty wide perimeter around the houses of parliament, itself. One that extends, as I say, right up into this government districts of London.

At this further perimeter, what we are seeing is mostly unarmed police but also some armed police officers as well. securing this line as other investigators, police officers, and, yes, still ambulances are making their way down this road into the actual zone itself where this particular attack took place.

So, it all points to what we've been talking about, a significant incident at an iconic location. You can see Big Ben just over my shoulder, I believe. That very famous tower that marks the houses of parliament there. The mother of parliament, as it's known around the world.

So, an incredibly symbolic, potential target, whatever the motive behind what has taken place here today. And what we are witnessing here is still very much an ongoing police operation. One where there is no sense, though, from the way the police are behaving that there is any sort of ongoing threat, at least at this particular location within the government district itself -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Phil, we've just been told that the prime minister, the British prime minister, Theresa May, is about to chair a meeting of the Government Emergency COBRA Committee to discuss the immediate response to what is seen as a terror attack on Westminster. This according to the U.K.'s Press Association. The COBRA Committee brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies.

So, this would be an emergency meeting, she bringing together law enforcement, counter intelligence -- counterterrorism and intelligence officials to discuss what happened and where Britain goes from here, right?

Phil, are you there? I think we may have lost him.

BLACK: I guess you know -- oh, sorry, lost you for a moment.

BLITZER: Yes, I was just saying just to give us a perspective on the COBRA Committee that this meeting, this emergency meeting that the prime minister is about to convene.

BLACK: Yes, this would be a standard response from the British government. COBRA, it's a fairly impressive name. It's an acronym for something that's a bit more of a, for now I guess, Cabinet Office Briefing Room A.

It is a location where they bring together either the leaders of the representatives of all the key arms of government to respond to any particular given crisis, whether it's a flood or, in this case, a very high-profile attack on a very high-profile target here in the very center of the government district of London.

[13:15:07] So, you're right. What you'll be hearing from there are representatives of the intelligence agencies, the police and, of course, all possible government interests that could either lend some insight into what has taken place here, why it happened, what the possible motivation was, but also what the response should be. To what extent there is an ongoing threat within the U.K. at the moment. Whether or not this was one person, one lone wolf acting all by himself, or whether or not this does represent one arm, if you'd like, of a wider plot to strike and other potential targets.

You've heard from Scotland Yard. They're keeping an open mind at this. The prime minister, she will want to hear all the latest information, all the best possible intelligence that will allow her to make all the necessary decisions going forward from here. So on one hand, how did this happen, who did it and why. But, of course, to what extent has the threat itself been contained, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we did from the Commander B.J. Harrington (ph) of the London Metropolitan Police that they are treating this as a terror incident.

Stand by.

As we mentioned, the British prime minister, Theresa May, was evacuated from parliament when the incident occurred, approaching two and a half hours or so ago. On the line we have a member of parliament, Adrian Bailey.

Thanks so much for joining us, Adrian Bailey. You saw that when she was escorted from parliament you were an eyewitness to that? Is that right?

ADRIAN BAILEY, U.K. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT (via telephone): Yes, that's correct. I was making my way through new (ph) palace (ph) yard (ph) to (INAUDIBLE) and climbed the stairs which come out by the back of the speaker's chair and the entrance to the lobby to vote and at that point four or five very burly men surrounding the prime minister, who looked somewhat apprehensive, (INAUDIBLE) - one bumped into me. My first reaction was, well, that's unusually rude. But as I went into the lobby and realized that everything was locked down, I realized that this was no ordinary vote (ph) and that there was something happening. And then, of course, the word spread very rapidly that we were under attack and emergency actions were being taken.

BLITZER: And where are you now?

BAILEY: I am standing in the lobby immediately adjacent to the main chamber where all the MPs who would come in to vote have effectively been corralled there since the vote for our own safety. We have been told that there will be an evacuation, but we haven't been told when and where we will be allowed to go. I did hear a rumor that - that the car that is supposed to have crashed into the railings outside, a that they (INAUDIBLE), they're awaiting to check there's no bomb in the suitcase before they allow us to go out, but I can't confirm that particular rumor.

BLITZER: Yes, that's - I just want to stress, that's a rumor right there. I assume they would be checking that vehicle for bombs under any circumstances.

BAILEY: Yes.

BLITZER: And they would presumably get some robotic equipment to deal with that, although I do see individuals -

BAILEY: I would guess, sir.

BLITZER: That are dressed there, that are investigating that automobile.

So - but you're still - you're still in lockdown right now as we approach two and a half hours plus since this incident.

BAILEY: Yes, that's correct.

BLITZER: They're going to be escorting you. Did they say they would let you go home or they're escorting you to a different location?

BAILEY: I think we will just be escorted to a different location. We know that sooner or later we will be allowed to go home, but we haven't quite got that far yet.

BLITZER: Yes, we see people, by the way, dressed in full protective gear and looking - inspecting that vehicle that crashed into that security fence outside of parliament right now. Other than them, the area clearly has been evacuated. If - if - and let's hope there isn't, but if there's a bomb in there, they would want to do that.

Cedric Leighton, you're an expert on this area. You would agree, right?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Absolutely, Wolf. And the real reason that they're doing what they're doing over there with the protective suit is to not only worry about bombs and make sure that the bombs are taken care of, but they're also worried about the possibility of biological or chemical agents possibly being transmitted by this vehicle. So they're going through every measure that they possibly can in order to make sure that there is nothing that could adversely affect the opening of parliament when that comes about.

BLITZER: Adrian Bailey's a member of parliament. They have to worry, Mr. Bailey, about that worst-case scenario. That's why all of these steps are being taken, right? [13:20:00] BAILEY: Absolutely. And I think all members of parliament

understand that. I think our initial shall we say disbelief and then apprehension (INAUDIBLE) we got over that and people are standing around now trying to find out exactly where we are and what's going to happen and phoning and texting friends and relatives to just reassure them that we're all OK and just waiting to see what's going to happen next.

BLITZER: Well, good luck over there, Adrien Bailey, a member of parliament, who is still on the scene, still in lockdown. Max Foster, our CNN international anchor and London correspondent, you're right near this area. People are still stuck. A lot of people are still stuck. Tell us about that.

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So there is the lockdown area, just down there. We've been allowed this far because this is where new Scotland Yard is based, the new Scotland Yard. And there was a briefing just a moment ago saying - they're calling for any sort of information, any sort of video that anyone might have seen because the issue they've got here is there's lots they haven't gotten to the bottom of. There's a report of someone in the river, for example. They just can't work out what that was. There's no sign of it now. But there are reports, multiple reports of that coming into the police at the time of this. So we've got police helicopters up as well. You probably can't see them.

BLITZER: I think we just lost our connection with Max Foster. We'll get back to him.

Clarissa Ward is with us, who lives in London. She happens to be with us in Washington right now.

This is an area - you studied in this area. You know this area. It's - usually it would be bustling right now, but it's - it looks totally deserted.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean it's just extraordinary to see. It's 5:20 p.m. in London. This is normally the time people finish work. The streets would be very busy with parliamentarians going home, people who have government jobs leaving for the day, the tourists who are always out there in throngs, school finishing, universities in the area. This is normally an incredibly crowded area.

And we are actually hearing reports that the London Eye - and you can just glimpse it in the top left-hand corner of your screen there, the London Eye, this is a major tourism attraction, it's a very large Ferris wheel, as you can probably see for yourself, the London Eye has actually been suspended and there are reportedly still people inside the London Eye in some of those capsules who are essentially being kept there until presumably this sort of lockdown comes to an end and the situation is determined to be safe enough that those people can go out of the London Eye.

As I mentioned before, this is a major tourism attraction. People come from all over the world. You ride the Ferris wheel. You get beautiful views of the whole of London. You can see the houses of parliament just behind. And one can presume that this is probably quite frightening for some of the people who are trapped in those pods for capsules and who have been there now for more than two and a half hours as they wait for police to determine that the situation has been diffused, that the situation is OK.

We saw those images, Wolf and Cedric you were mentioning, of those men in white looking at the scene where that car crashed. Presumably, as you said, Cedric, looking to see if there's any kind of hazardous materials, but also potentially looking to take some DNA samples, to try to get a better sense of who the driver of that vehicle was, is he someone or is she someone who is known to authorities. Still no clear picture as to the motive for this attack, as to who was responsible for it. Was there one person, were there multiple perpetrators. And obviously authorities taking it very seriously. They want to have a much better sense of the situation, make sure the area is contained, make sure, Wolf, as you said, that this isn't potentially a smoke screen for another potential attack. Until they have a better sense of that, you can be sure that those people who - those parliamentarians will be staying in the houses of parliament and those tourists who are stuck on the London Eye will probably be staying there as well until the metropolitan police determines that it is safe enough for them all to exit.

BLITZER: Well, we just got a statement, Clarissa, in from the House of Commons in parliament. "An extremely serious incident has occurred in the Westminster area this afternoon." The statement says, "the Metropolitan Police is dealing with this and an investigation is underway. On behalf of members of both houses of parliament, we wish to offer our thoughts to all those affected and their families. We would also like to express our gratitude to the police and all emergency services." That's from the lord speaker and the speaker of the House of Commons. They're taking this extremely seriously, as they should right now, and this whole notion that if this was a smoke screen, maybe something else is in the works, they have to worry about that, Clarissa.

[13:25:09] WARD: They do have to worry about it. It is exactly one year ago today that ISIS attacked Brussels, coordinated attacks at the airport, at the - at the underground stations. So clearly they cannot afford to leave anything to chance here. So far it appears that one person, according to the British Press Association, has been killed. Ten people hurt. That is, of course, much less than we saw in an unfortunate incident like Brussels, a tragic attack where at least 32 people were killed. But certainly authorities in London are not going to take any chances. They want to make sure that everything in that entire area of central London, near the houses of parliament, that they have described as being under lockdown, that there is nothing else there that could precipitate more casualties.

BLITZER: And we're just getting this information in, Clarissa. You know this area, the Westminster Bridge area. We're now being told that a female, a member of the public, as she is been described, has been recovered from the water, alive, but with injuries. That according to the Port of London Authority spokesman Martin Garside (ph). He says the woman was recovered near the Westminster Bridge. He said, "I don't know how she got into the water. She's undergoing urgent medical care for her injuries right now." Garside said the river is closed between the Voxel Bridge (ph) and the embankment. You know this area well.

WARD: I do. I do. And this was one of the most confusing things that we had heard from the authorities. We had heard that they had heard - had a report of a woman in the river, or a person in the river. It was not clear immediately if that related to this specific attack. It appears it may. But, again, Wolf, we're still just trying to put together a picture of what happened.

BLITZER: We have another eyewitness, Alan Parry, joining us right now.

Alan, I understand you witnessed the attack. What did you see?

ALAN PARRY, EYEWITNESS TO U.K. ATTACK (via telephone): Well, actually, yes, I had a prearranged appointment with Lord Tebbit (ph) in the House of Lords. I was on my way to check in through security and I was crossing Westminster Bridge on the opposite sides to the Houses of Parliament, fortunately for me. Had I crossed over to the other pavement, I might have been part of this incident rather than an eyewitness to it.

I was walking around amidst a crowd of people when suddenly I head this enormous crash and bang. I looked across to the opposite pavement and saw this sort of four by four vehicle that had clearly crashed into the railings that separate the pavement from the Houses of Parliament themselves with the bonnet (ph) damaged and smoke coming from it. The next thing I saw, a guy who I assumed to be the driver of the vehicle, get out and race away. I walked on a few more paces and saw someone lying on the pavement, obviously injured. At first they didn't move, but fortunately they did then, very gently.

And then this was all quickly followed by what I assumed to be - which I now - I've realize was, indeed, three gunshots. The next thing, of course, was chaos. Tourists who frequent that area, of course, were panicking and people shouting "oh, my God," and running in all directions. And then the police arrived, including armed policemen as well. And telling everyone to clear away, clear away, which we did. And now I'm looking out over the River Thames towards the Houses of Parliament and the whole area, as you've heard, is still in complete lockdown.

BLITZER: Still, complete lockdown. Right now you - over these past nearly three hours now, you haven't seen any easing of that, is that right, Alan?

PARRY: No, indeed, quite the opposite. This is not but a few moments of silence in the last couple of hours. There have been police cars racing in all directions, ambulances as well, sirens blaring away, helicopters in the sky. I can see over on Westminster Bridge it's (INAUDIBLE) number of the famous iconic London buses just stood there where they've been for the last couple of hours. I think your studio guest mentioned the London Eye as well, which is still a very rare sight, indeed.

So there's huge police activity still going on. I checked with a policeman a while ago about my appointment, which is about an hour away, and he said, look, my experience of these incidents is that the whole area is likely to remain in lockdown for a good 24 hours. So I don't think I'll be fulfilling my appointment. But at the same time I feel a very lucky person because, as I said to you before, had I crossed over to the opposite pavement, heaven knows what might have happened.

BLITZER: Well, did you resize, as you were an eyewitness, you were seeing what was going on, how dangerous this situation was? Bottom line, how scared were you?

[13:29:54] PARRY: Well, no, not immediately. I obviously went and heard a crash. And it was obviously then the - a traffic accident, but I assumed at first maybe the driver had had a tire blow out and mounted (ph) the pavement accidentally or that maybe he hit a cyclist because central London these days is crawling with cyclists. It was only really