Topic: Natural History Museum crash: Car hits people in London.

[Alan_X]

Not confirmed that it is terror related.

From the BBC:

Several people have been injured after a car hit pedestrians near the Natural History Museum in London, police say.

The Metropolitan Police said one person had been detained following the incident at 14:20 BST in Exhibition Road in South Kensington.

Video footage that emerged on Twitter showed a man being restrained on the ground.

A BBC reporter at the scene said she had been told by police that the injuries were minor.

• Latest on London museum crash

Police said inquiries are under way to establish the circumstances.

A Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister is "being kept up to date on events".

The current terror threat level in the UK is "severe" - the second highest - meaning an attack is highly likely.  BBC reporter Chloe Hayward was leaving the Natural History Museum as the incident happened.
"I could see a car diagonally across the road, looking like it was going into one of the boulders on the side of the road, and I could see a crowd of people around what was clearly one or two people on the pavement," she said.

She added there were now armed police at the scene.

"We have had lots of police coming onto the scene, helicopters above, and I can see an ambulance which is definitely having someone put in, but it isn't clear how bad that injury is."
Exhibition Road is an area popular with tourists as it is home to the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. All three museums have now been evacuated. 
 
An eyewitness who was walking to the Science Museum said: "When waiting for the light, we heard what I thought was gunshots and saw a car drive over the pavement. We just ran. My friend dived on the floor and cut her hands.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "When it calmed down we walked back to where we'd been and saw a gentleman on the floor being restrained by police."

Connor Honeyman, from Essex, who was in the queue for the museum, said: "We heard a horrible thudding noise and a car engine. Everyone started running and screaming inside.

"We ran in, everyone was following us, and then all the security guards ran out and they closed the main entrance. There was much confusion before the police got there."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41538762

[Alan_X]

It's possible this could be a straightforward accident. The bottom end of Exhibition Road is shared by traffic and pedestrians and it could be a confused driver.

[rodderzzz]

It's possible this could be a straightforward accident. The bottom end of Exhibition Road is shared by traffic and pedestrians and it could be a confused driver.

Don't know the area at all, and whether or not this is terror related or not, but you'd think given what's gone on over the last 12 months they'd make it a bit more secure, looks prime for a similar attack from that picture.

Hopefully no serious injuries

[redmark]

The presumed driver was restrained on the ground (behind and between the two cars to the left on the above image) before the police arrived; by what look like might be Museum security staff.

[redmark]

Don't know the area at all, and whether or not this is terror related or not, but you'd think given what's gone on over the last 12 months they'd make it a bit more secure, looks prime for a similar attack from that picture.

Hopefully no serious injuries

Exhibition Road has been discussed as a possible terrorist target. It has vehicle access for the large number of taxis and coaches needed to service the area; and to allow access to the disabled parking provided as close to the museum entrances as possible (from memory, the side road outside the Science Museum).

[killer-heels]

On the BBC news feed it had a quote from a witness who said the padestrians had minor injuries. Hopefully thats true.

[Alan_X]

Exhibition Road has been discussed as a possible terrorist target. It has vehicle access for the large number of taxis and coaches needed to service the area; and to allow access to the disabled parking provided as close to the museum entrances as possible (from memory, the side road outside the Science Museum).

I'm there all at the moment as I'm doing an exhibition at the V&A. The road scheme was designed by Dixon Jones architects and the reports from back them are from a different time:

https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/shared-space-is-the-future-for-londons-roads-7313484.html

The very bottom end is shared by delivery traffic and pedestrians and I was thinking the other day that it's a potential target with a clear run down Exhibition Road into tourists and outdoor restaurant tables and seats.

Hopefully this is just an accident but I can see the area being tightened up.

[Zeb]

Met confirm it's an accident. Hope the injuries aren't too serious for those involved.

https://twitter.com/metpoliceuk/status/916709921080659968

[CraigDS]

Met confirm it's an accident. Hope the injuries aren't too serious for those involved.

https://twitter.com/metpoliceuk/status/916709921080659968

Some of the replies to that make be despair.

[Peabee]

Apparently, Tommy Robinson showed up there.  He'll be gutted it wasn't an attack. 

[Crosby Nick]

Apparently, Tommy Robinson showed up there.  He'll be gutted it wasn't an attack. 

What a fucking arsehole he is. Hope he gets eaten by the mechanical T Rex.

[redmark]

Some of the replies to that make be despair.

'RightNewsUK', 'AmericanInfidel', 'Trust POTUS Trump', 'YankeeDoodleDandy'.

Almost like some people want there to be more terrorist attacks, to give them something to whip people up into a frenzy over...


If only they knew the Natural History and Science museums promote radical ideas like 'evolution' and the earth being billions of years old...

[TepidT2O]

There are massive great boulders down the side of the road there aren’t there?

[CornerFlag]

'RightNewsUK', 'AmericanInfidel', 'Trust POTUS Trump', 'YankeeDoodleDandy'.

Almost like some people want there to be more terrorist attacks, to give them something to whip people up into a frenzy over...


If only they knew the Natural History and Science museums promote radical ideas like 'evolution' and the earth being billions of years old...

to be honest, could be prime Russian bots too.

[Trada]

So it was a horrible accident, but its strange now seeing the black man being held down by 3 men after it happened. would the same had happened if the driver was White?

[Peabee]

So it was a horrible accident, but its strange now seeing the black man being held down by 3 men after it happened. would the same had happened if the driver was White?

Yes, he ran into 11 or so people with a car. 

[Alan_X]

So it was a horrible accident, but its strange now seeing the black man being held down by 3 men after it happened. would the same had happened if the driver was White?

What a bizarre question. If you saw a car hit 11 people in a popular tourist location in the current climate would you just think - 'yeah, off you go lad' - or restrain him until you knew there was no danger?

It's the driving into pedestrians that resulted in him being pinned to the ground not the colour of his skin.

[Sangria]

So it was a horrible accident, but its strange now seeing the black man being held down by 3 men after it happened. would the same had happened if the driver was White?

Have you heard of Westminster Bridge and London Bridge?

[zero zero]

It's the driving into pedestrians that resulted in him being pinned to the ground not the colour of his skin.

Have you heard of Westminster Bridge and London Bridge?

More pertinently, do you remember the Finsbury Park mosque attack?

The driver was white. The victims were not. They restrained him until the police turned up.

[GreatEx]

Some of the replies to that make be despair.

Why did you have to say that? I couldn't resist, and now I've wasted 15 minutes of my life and lost 15 IQ points.

[AaronSingh25]

The clamour for this to be a terrorist attack was bizarre. Granted it's sensitive times we live in, but Sky News, the usual suspects on twitter were almost salivating with froth at the prospect of it being more than what it was.

Sky News had wall to wall coverage, despite people on the ground saying it appeared to be an accident - yet they had 'terror experts on', the chopper in the air, Kay BLOODY Burley on the scene, FFS - then when it was confirmed it was an accident, the story disappeared.