4 Dead In London, Attack Declared 'Terrorist Incident'

LONDON (CBS4)- A senior police commander says the attack at London's Parliament has been declared a terrorist incident and "a full counterterrorism investigation is underway." Four people were dead, including one police officer, and 20 others were injured in the attack.

The suspect is among those killed.

The U.S. State Department says it is closely monitoring the incident outside London's Parliament and urged Americans in London to avoid the area.

"We stand ready to assist in any way the U.K. authorities would find helpful," said U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

The session of Britain's House of Commons was suspended just before 3 p.m. London time after witnesses reported hearing gunshots nearby.

A short time later the leader of Britain's House of Commons confirmed a man has been shot by police at Parliament. David Liddington also said there were "reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity."

A doctor says a woman has died and about a dozen people are hurt, some with "catastrophic" injuries, after a vehicle apparently hit pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, near Parliament.

"People started running up to them. I saw one person who gave no sign of life, another man was bleeding from his head. In all, I saw five people who were at least seriously injured," said Poland's former foreign minister, Radek Sikorski.

Colleen Anderson of St Thomas' Hospital says a female pedestrian has died, "There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries."

The Metropolitan Police believe there was only one attacker.