An incident near the Natural History Museum in central London in which a car reportedly struck pedestrians is not being treated as terror-related, police have said.
Eleven people were injured, and 9 taken to hospital, when a car mounted the pavement near some of London's busiest museums at around 2:20pm on Saturday afternoon. There were no serious injuries.
A 47-year-old man arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving was released on Sunday under investigation, police said, after they revealed that the incident was being treated as a road traffic collision.
"Because of where this collision occurred and the number of pedestrians involved, I fully appreciate the concern and alarm this incident caused," said DC Darren Case of the Metropolitan police. "Enquiries have established that this incident is not terrorist related and I'd like to thank those who came to assist the injured. Thankfully there are no serious injuries with the majority now discharged from hospital.
"We are grateful for the patience of those in and around the area following the disruption caused. We would ask anybody who saw what happened, or who have any pictures or moving footage that could help us gain a greater understanding of what happened, to get in touch with us.”
The incident in #ExhibitionRoad #SouthKensington earlier is not being treated as a terror-related incident. It is a road traffic collision.
My thanks to the first responders at this incident this afternoon and the actions of members of the public. My thoughts are with the injured
An eyewitness to the aftermath of the incident told BuzzFeed News she saw a man being held down by pedestrians, and a crashed black car.
“There was a gentleman holding his 4- or 5-year-old daughter in his arms while trying to restrain the man, he was amazing," Lesley Carter, a 26-year-old from London, said.
Police were responding on Saturday to "reports of a collision in Exhibition Road, South Kensington", which is home to several major museums, including the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
We will release more information when we can - our information must be accurate. #ExhibitionRoad #SouthKensington
In a statement posted on Twitter, London mayor Sadiq Khan said details were still emerging about the incident.
He said he was in close contact with Assistant Met Commissioner Mark Rowley and the other emergency services, and relayed a message from police for people to avoid the area.
My statement on the incident in South Kensington: https://t.co/uTeo2HabXy
Very concerning reports from outside the Natural History Museum. My thoughts are with those injured and our thanks to the emergency services
There were multiple reports of a car mounting the pavement and driving into pedestrians, which on a Saturday afternoon would have been full of tourists visiting the museums.
Pictures posted from the scene showed a crashed car and a man being held on the ground by pedestrians.
Reports on the ground of a car being driven into people outside the Natural History Museum. All media free to use t… https://t.co/FpCNlxyLQN
Not visiting the Natural History Museum after all. Some kind of terror thing? Armed police, Helicopters etc . . .… https://t.co/DEiwCIhVdo
