Westminster incident this afternoon – four dead

Earlier today an incident at Westminster has resulted in the deaths of four people, which number includes the attacker, a woman and a police officer. It appears that the police officer may have been stabbed. Around twenty other people have been injured in what the police are describing as a terror attack.

All Edinburgh MPs have used Twitter to advise that they are all okay, but shocked at the incident which the BBC report may also have involved gunshots and a 4×4 on Westminster Bridge which rammed pedestrians there.

 The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said : “My thoughts are with everyone caught up in the dreadful incident at Westminster today, including the emergency services who responded bravely to ensure the safety of the many people nearby.

“Following the incident the Scottish Government has been liaising closely with Police Scotland and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has been briefed by the Chief Constable.

“This afternoon our officials held a Scottish Government resilience (SGoRR) meeting with Police Scotland, to ensure that any potential implications for Scotland are considered and I will convene a Ministerial SGoRR meeting later this evening.

“We have been in regular dialogue with the Parliament and I fully support the decision of the Presiding Officer to suspend proceedings this afternoon.  It should be made clear, however, that this was not because of any specific threat to the parliament or to Scotland

“We are liaising with our counterparts in the UK Government and the Scottish Government stands ready to support in any way we can.”

The Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh suspended the second day of the Independence Referendum debate at Holyrood and said: “Members of all parties represented in this Parliament will want to join me in expressing our heartfelt sympathy for all those affected by the tragic events at Westminster.

“As the true seriousness of the incident emerged, and as an expression of our support for our sister Parliament, parliamentary business at Holyrood was suspended this afternoon for the remainder of the day.

“No matter how significant our debate might be, to have continued further would not have been appropriate. It was incredibly apparent from the chair as reports emerged that the thoughts and concern of members lay elsewhere.”