A brawl on Westminster Bridge left a man seriously ill as police arrested four people after an alleged attempted murder in the heart of London.
Officers swarmed Westminster Bridge after an incident witnessed by horrified tourists just meters from the Houses of Parliament, with footage shared online by London resident Akinbayo Dele and stamped with AKDVIDEO appearing to show the response of emergency services .
The Metropolitan Police initially said it was a stabbing and described it as “an isolated incident” that was “not being treated as terrorism.”
The force has now issued an update, saying the man had not been stabbed but suffered cardiac arrest, adding: “Investigations are ongoing to determine how he came to suffer cardiac arrest.”
Officers were called to reports of a fight on the bridge at around 10.45am today and found the man who was now “fighting for his life” after being taken to hospital in a critical condition.
The Met this afternoon announced a new appeal for witnesses to come forward with any information, as well as CCTV or dashcam footage.
The latest alert comes amid concerns raised about a rise in knife crime in the capital and pressure on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to do more to calm security fears.
Some 14,500 knife crimes were recorded in London last year, which is almost 40 each day, compared to almost 11,500 in the previous 12 months.
Images shared online by London resident Akinbayo Dele appeared to show the response of emergency services following this morning’s incident on Westminster Bridge.
Officers were called at around 10.45am on Sunday after reports of a fight on the bridge in central London.
Four people have been arrested following reports of a fight on the bridge, Scotland Yard said.
Of the 50,510 knife crimes committed in England and Wales in 2023-2024, 30 per cent (14,961) were recorded by the Metropolitan Police, 10 per cent (5,268) by West Midlands Police and five per cent ( 2,321) by West Yorkshire Police.
When looking at the number of crimes per population, West Midlands Police had the highest rate, with 178 per 100,000 people, followed by the Metropolitan Police (169 per 100,000), then Cleveland Police (137 per 100,000) and the from South Yorkshire (109 per 100,000). 100,000).
Following today’s incident, a user of X, formerly Twitter, posted online: ‘Westminster Bridge is closed in both directions. Hundreds of police at the scene with the Bridge cordoned off. What’s happening?’
The Met said in a new statement this afternoon: “At 10.43am on Sunday 24 November, police were called to reports of a fight on Westminster Bridge, SE1.
Officers attended the scene alongside London Ambulance Service and London Air Ambulance where they found a man in cardiac arrest.
‘Initial reports suggested the man had been stabbed, but further investigation has confirmed this was not the case. Investigations are continuing to determine how he went into cardiac arrest. The man remains in hospital in a critical condition.’
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and another for affray.
Two of those arrested have been treated in hospital for head injuries, the Met said.
Officers were called to reports of a fight on Westminster Bridge at around 10.45am today.
Police are pictured collecting evidence from the scene at Westminster Bridge today.
Police officers were called to Westminster Bridge in central London after an incident there this morning left a man “fighting for his life” in a critical condition in hospital.
The road next to Parliament has been cordoned off after the attack.
The bridge closed traffic in both directions after the incident this morning
The Metropolitan Police has said it is not treating the incident as terrorism-related.
The road was closed and bus services 11, 12, 148, 159 and 453 were diverted.
Scotland Yard added in its latest statement: “Police are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed the incident.
“Officers are also urging anyone who has CCTV, mobile phone footage or dash cam footage that could assist the investigation to come forward.”
Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting CAD 2468/24NOV or alternatively contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.