14:25 
 
 More details are emerging about the French students injured on Westminster Bridge during the attack. 
 
 Ouest France reported that three students from the Saint-Joseph de Concarneau lycée (secondary school) were injured in the car attack. The paper said two of them were in a critical condition. The condition of the third is not known. 
 
 The pupils were in 2nd grade - aged 15 or 16. There were four classes from the school on a week-long visit to London, meaning more than 100 teenagers. Around a dozen were believed to have been on Westminster Bridge at the time of the attack. 
 
 Forough Salami, vice-president of the Brittany regional council, was in London with two colleagues Anne Gallo and Mona Bras. She was with a delegation of 40 people from business and cultural circles invited to the Australian embassy. 
 
 “At the time of the attack, we weren’t nearby and we had difficulty having information, but we’ve just learned what hospital the three injured lycéens from Concarneau were being treated. The rest of the class was held on a boat with psychological councillors before being taken back to their youth hostel,” she told the local newspaper. ||||| Police secure the area close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. The leader of Britain's House of Commons says a man has been shot by police at Parliament. David Liddington... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police secure the area close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. The leader of Britain's House of Commons says a man has been shot by police at Parliament. David Liddington also said there were "reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity." London's police said... (Associated Press) 
 
 LONDON (AP) — A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including the assailant, and 40 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack." 
 
 Lawmakers, lords, staff and visitors were locked down after the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament, just yards (meters) from entrances to the building itself and in the shadow of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. He died, as did three pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. 
 
 A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had "catastrophic" injuries. Three police officers, several French teenagers on a school trip, two Romanian tourists and five South Korean visitors were among the injured. 
 
 Police said they were treating the attack as terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. 
 
 Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said police believed there was only one attacker, "but it would be foolish to be overconfident early on." He said an unarmed policeman, three civilians and the attacker died. Forty others, including three police officers, were injured. 
 
 Islamic extremism was suspected in the attack, Rowley said, adding that authorities believe they know the assailant's identity but would not reveal it while the investigation was ongoing. 
 
 The threat level for international terrorism in the U.K. was already listed at severe, meaning an attack was "highly likely." 
 
 Speaking outside 10 Downing St. after chairing a meeting of government's emergency committee, COBRA, May said that level would not change. She said attempts to defeat British values of democracy and freedom through terrorism would fail. 
 
 "Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal," she said. Londoners and visitors "will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." 
 
 U.S. President Donald Trump was among world leaders offering condolences, and in Paris, the lights of the Eiffel Tower were to be dimmed in solidarity with London. 
 
 London has been a target for terrorism many times over past decades. Just this weekend, hundreds of armed police took part in an exercise simulating a "marauding" terrorist attack on the River Thames. 
 
 Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people last year, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. 
 
 In the House of Commons, legislators were holding a series of votes on pensions when deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced that the sitting was being suspended and told lawmakers not to leave. 
 
 Parliament was locked down for several hours, and the adjoining Westminster subway station was shuttered. 
 
 Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the Bali terror attack in 2002, performed first aid on the wounded police officer, who later died. About 10 yards away lay the assailant. 
 
 "I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood," Ellwood said. "He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back." 
 
 The attack began early Wednesday afternoon as a driver in a gray SUV slammed into pedestrians on the bridge linking Parliament to the south bank of the River Thames. 
 
 Former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski was in a car crossing the bridge when he heard "something like a car hitting metal sheet" and then saw people lying on the pavement. 
 
 "I saw one person who gave no signs of life. One man was bleeding from his head. I saw five people who were at least seriously injured," Sikorski told Poland's TVN24. 
 
 Ambulances arrived within minutes to treat people who lay scattered along the length of the bridge. One bloodied woman lay surrounded by a scattering of postcards. 
 
 Police said one injured woman was pulled from the river. 
 
 The car crashed into railings on the north side of the bridge, less than 200 yards (meters) from the entrance to Parliament. As people scattered in panic, witnesses saw a man holding a knife run toward the building. 
 
 "The whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben," said witness Rick Longley. "A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman. I have never seen anything like that. I just can't believe what I just saw." 
 
 The attacker managed to get past a gate into Parliament's fenced-in New Palace Yard, a cobbled courtyard in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower. 
 
 Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts said a man in black attacked the police officer before being shot two or three times as he tried to storm into the building. 
 
 "As this attacker was running towards the entrance two plain-clothed guys with guns shouted at him what sounded like a warning, he ignored it and they shot two or three times and he fell," Letts told the BBC. 
 
 The attacker fell to the cobbles just yards from the entrance to 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the parliamentary complex, busy with visitors and school groups. Beyond that, a corridor leads to the building's Central Lobby, flanked by House of Commons and House of Lords chambers. 
 
 The prime minister was among lawmakers near the Commons at the time of the attack, and was quickly ushered away by security officers and driven back to Downing Street. 
 
 To get that far, the attacker would have had to evade the armed officers who patrol the Parliament complex in pairs, as well as Parliament's own security staff, who don't carry guns. 
 
 The attack unfolded near some of the city's most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlook the capital. It was halted after the attack, stranding visitors in the pods, with an aerial view of the attack scene. 
 
 London Ambulance Service said medics treated 12 people for serious injuries and eight who were less seriously hurt. 
 
 Dr. Colleen Anderson of St. Thomas' Hospital said some of the wounded had "catastrophic" injuries. 
 
 The French Foreign Ministry said that three students on a school trip from Saint-Joseph in the Brittany town of Concarneau were among the injured. Two Romanians were also among the injured, the country's Foreign Ministry said. 
 
 U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with May by telephone and applauded "the quick response of British police and first responders," spokesman Sean Spicer said. 
 
 London has often been the target of terrorist attacks, from IRA campaigns in the 1970s and 80s to more recent Islamist plots. 
 
 On July 7, 2005, four al-Qaida-inspired British bombers blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus in London, killing 52 people. 
 
 British security forces say they have thwarted some 13 terror plots over the past four years, but in recent years the U.K. has largely been spared major international terror attacks such as the ones seen in Belgium and France. 
 
 Last year, a far-right supporter shot and killed British lawmaker Jo Cox, who had campaigned for the U.K. to remain in the European Union. Prior to that, an attacker claiming to be motivated by Syria stabbed three people at a London subway station. 
 
 The most gruesome recent attack occurred in 2013 when two Muslim converts of Nigerian descent attacked Lee Rigby, a British soldier who was walking down the street. The men ran Rigby down with their vehicle and then used a cleaver to hack him to death as bystanders watched in horror. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Sophie Berman, Gregory Katz and Rob Harris in London and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 / Updated / Source: Reuters By Alastair Jamieson, Saphora Smith, Alexander Smith and Alex Johnson 
 
 LONDON — Three people, including a police officer, were killed Wednesday in a terrorist attack at Britain's Parliament that sent crowds running for their lives before police shot and killed the attacker. 
 
 Acting Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said Wednesday night that a fourth victim had died — but revised the toll to three early Thursday. 
 
 The victims included London Metropolitan Police Constable Keith Palmer, 48, a 15-year veteran who was a husband and a father, Rowley said. 
 
 Palmer was stabbed at the House of Commons and died despite the efforts of doctors and a passing government minister to save him. 
 
 What we know 
 
 An attacker struck pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge and then crashed near Parliament. 
 
 The man, armed with a knife, tried to enter Parliament. He stabbed and killed a police officer before he was shot and killed by police. 
 
 About 40 people were treated for injuries, some of them serious. At least two officers were seriously wounded. 
 
 Police said the attack, which came on the first anniversary of the Brussels terrorist attacks, was terrorism. 
 
 The prime minister and London's mayor vowed that Britons would not be intimidated. 
 
 President Donald Trump promised full assistance to Britain. 
 
 Counterterrorism police sent to British offices and institutions in New York City. 
 
 About 40 people were injured, some of them seriously, Rowley said. He said at least two police officers were among those who were seriously wounded. 
 
 The incident began when a 4x4 vehicle plowed into people walking on nearby Westminster Bridge. Some of the pedestrians suffered "catastrophic" injuries, doctors said. A woman was pulled alive from the River Thames below the bridge with serious injuries. 
 
 London Metropolitan Police Constable Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed to death in Wednesday's terrorist attack in London. London Metropolitan Police 
 
 The assailant, who is thought to have been acting alone, was brought to the ground by a gunshot and also died. Rowley said they believed they knew who he was but were withholding his name while they searched for possible associates. 
 
 The assault came on the first anniversary of terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium, that killed 32 people, and police said Wednesday's incident was also terrorism. 
 
 Prime Minister Theresa May called the attacker a "sick and depraved terrorist" and said, "The location of this attack was no accident." 
 
 "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our national capital," May said in a nationally televised address outside 10 Downing Street. 
 
 May announced that Parliament would meet as scheduled on Thursday and said Londoners refused to allow "the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart." 
 
 "Let me make it clear today," she vowed. "Any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure." 
 
 Like May, London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised emergency responders for their "tremendous courage in exceptionally difficult circumstances." 
 
 "London is the greatest city in the world," Khan said in a video message. "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism." 
 
 Related: Terrorist Attack Leaves Londoners With Feeling of 'Shock and Horror' 
 
 President Donald Trump said he spoke with May and promised full U.S. cooperation in "bringing those responsible to justice." 
 
 New York police told NBC News that they were closely monitoring events in London and were sending counterterrorism teams to numerous locations across the city, including Britain's U.N. and consular offices. 
 
 Lawmakers were kept on lockdown inside the House of Commons while police secured the scene, and tourists were trapped on the nearby London Eye Ferris wheel. 
 
 Journalists based at Parliament reported hearing gunshots shortly after 2:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. ET) and were told to stay in their offices. 
 
 From August 2016: Cops Without Guns Protect London Amid Terrorism Fears 
 
 Grant Shapps, a member of Parliament and former government minister, said police ordered lawmakers to crawl for cover as the incident unfolded. Some tweeted from inside the House of Commons' debating chamber, where they were held while police secured the scene. 
 
 Armed police on patrol after Wednesday's attack. Joel Ford / AFP - Getty Images 
 
 George Nuth, 21, told NBC News that he was walking toward nearby Westminster Abbey at the time of the attack. 
 
 "We saw loads of people ducking down," he said. "It must've been a tour group, around 20 or 30 people, and police or security were telling people to run. A policeman said to us: 'Stop dawdling if you don't want to get shot.'" 
 
 Streets around nearby 10 Downing Street, which serves as both the home and office of May, were evacuated. 
 
 French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said high school students from his country were among the injured. In a tweet Wednesday, he offered support to the British as well as to "the French students wounded, their families and their schoolmates." 
 
 Lawmaker Barry Sheerman tweeted a picture from inside the House of Commons during the lockdown. 
 
 Bill Kearns, 58, of New York, was visiting a nephew who works in Parliament. 
 
 "We were walking up Embankment heading towards Parliament, and then there were lots of people starting to run towards us," he told NBC News. "We tried to get a hold of our nephew straight away. We were worried about him, texting him ... and he said: 'Get away from Parliament as fast as you can.'" 
 
 A map of London around Parliament. Google Maps
– A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage at the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, first using what NBC News describes as a 4x4 vehicle to mow down pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing an armed police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Four people were killed, including the attacker, and about 40 others were injured, the AP reports. Lawmakers, lords, staff, and visitors were locked down as the man was shot by police within the perimeter of Parliament and just yards from entrances to the building itself after he scaled the security wall toward the Parliament's grounds. He died, as did two pedestrians on the bridge, and the police officer. A doctor who treated the wounded said some had "catastrophic" injuries. Three teenage French students were among those injured on the bridge, the Guardian reports. Police said they were treating the attacks as a terrorist incident and had launched a full counterterrorism investigation. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. "We are satisfied at this stage that it looks like there was only one attacker," said Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley. "But it would be foolish to be overconfident early on." The threat level for international terrorism in the UK was already listed at severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely." Wednesday was the anniversary of suicide bombings in the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people, and the latest events echoed recent vehicle attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. As lawmakers were voting inside Parliament, many reported hearing the sound of gunshots. Parliament was locked down for two hours, and adjoining Westminster subway station was shuttered.