ISIS claims Wednesday’s attack in London was carried out by one of its “soldiers” who “carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition.”
On Thursday, the extremist group released a statement to ISIS’ Amaq news agency, which it routinely uses to announce its role in deadly attacks. It read, according to Newsweek: ‘The perpetrator of the attacks yesterday in front of the British parliament in London is an Islamic State soldier and he carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of the coalition.’
The attacker has not been identified, but British officials have said the man was “British-born” and had been investigated before regarding violent extremism in the past, according to the Independent.
British Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a powerful message on the heels of the terror attack: “We are not afraid.”
May told lawmakers in the House of Commons on Thursday that the “act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal.”
She said the carnage was “an attack on free people everywhere,” which is evident by the wide-range of victims. People from 11 countries were hospitalized, including 12 from the U.K., three from France, four South Koreans, two Greeks, two Romanians and one apiece from Germany, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and America, according to the Associated Press, citing May.
The attacker killed three people, including a police officer, and injured multiple people. Eight people have been arrested in a series of overnight arrests in London and Birmingham.
President Donald Trump tweeted that he spoke with May to offer condolences.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/844723847094026242
Parliament resumed work on Thursday, less than 24 hours after the deadly attack, and observed a minute of silence to remember those killed.