What Happened At The UK Parliament? Shots Fired…

Chaos broke out today in the United Kingdom, as USA Today reports that a police officer was stabbed outside the UK Parliament, and a car ran over several people on the nearby Westminster Bridge. There are also reports of a shooting. The man who allegedly stabbed the officer was reportedly shot by police — who were called to the scene around 2:40 p.m. local time — and the Parliament is currently under security lockdown.

While the details have yet to be confirmed, reports say that at least a dozen people were injured and laying on the Westminster Bridge after being run over. It's unclear if the man who allegedly stabbed the officer was also the driver of the car, although the BBC is reporting them as two separate incidents. Witnesses saw a middle-aged man carrying what appeared to be a knife about seven or eight inches long and running through the gates toward Parliament, with the police chasing him. After failing to listen to their warnings, the assailant was reportedly shot dead.

An air ambulance was brought in to Parliament Square to treat and remove the victims. One European official, who remains anonymous, says that there was "increased chatter on jihadi networks" after the UK announced the ban on laptops aboard flights from mainly Muslim countries.

There is not yet confirmation that this is terror-related, but until they know more, British police are saying that they are indeed treating this as an act of terror; but details and official statements are being withheld for the time being.

Today marks the first anniversary of the terrorist attack in Brussels, which left 32 people dead and more than 320 injured. Britain is currently on the second highest alert level, which means that they're considering an attack by militants highly likely.

Stay tuned for more details.

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