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The 2017 Westminster Attack

On March 22, 2017, a terrorist attack occurred on Westminster Bridge in London, United Kingdom, resulting in five fatalities and over 50 injuries. Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old Briton born in Kent and raised in Rye, East Sussex, carried out the attack while wearing black clothes.

Masood drove his car into pedestrians along the south side of Westminster Bridge and Bridge Street, injuring numerous people before crashing into the perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster. He then ran towards New Palace Yard, where he fatally stabbed an unarmed police officer, PC Keith Palmer, who had been wearing a protective vest that did not appear to have been punctured in the attack.

The attacker also injured several others, including three British nationals and one American tourist, before being shot dead by British police. A 31-year-old Romanian tourist fell into the Thames during the attack. The incident occurred during a parliamentary session on the pension system, with Prime Minister Theresa May having just finished her speech in the House of Commons.

The Westminster bombing was claimed by the Islamic State and marked a significant escalation in terrorist attacks targeting the United Kingdom since August 2014, when MI5 assessed the threat as "serious". The attack came exactly a year after the Brussels bombings and occurred during a period of heightened tensions over Brexit. In response to the attack, Parliament authorized Prime Minister May to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to launch the UK's exit from the European Union.

The incident highlighted the ongoing security concerns in the United Kingdom and the threat posed by extremist groups such as the Islamic State. It also led to increased scrutiny of the government's handling of Brexit negotiations and the potential impact on national security.