ISIS claimed responsibility Thursday for the London terror attack that killed four people and injured at least 30 — while eight people were arrested for their possible involvement in the attack.
ISIS called Khalid Masood, 52, a “soldier” of the terrorist group, a day after he was shot dead by police officers following a killing spree during which he plowed an SUV through pedestrians on a bridge and fatally stabbed a cop.
But officials said the nature of any link between Masood, a British national, and ISIS was not immediately clear. ISIS provided no proof of a link between the group and the attacker.
Meanwhile, eight people — five men and three women — were taken into custody in the hours after the attack that took place along the historic Westminster Bridge and outside Parliament.
“It is still our belief that this attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism,” said Mark Rowley, Britain’s most senior counterterrorism official.
Masood’s afternoon attack took the lives of four people — including unarmed police officer Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father who was stabbed after the terrorist crashed his rented four-wheel weapon of destruction through a crowd along the bridge.
Among those killed were Kurt Cochran, an American tourist from Utah, who was abroad celebrating a wedding anniversary. His wife, Melissa, was still in a hospital, according to her sister in a Facebook post.
Three of the victims died Wednesday. Leslie Rhodes, 75, died Thursday after he was taken off life support.
Among the injured was a woman who was either knocked or jumped off the bridge — and had to be pulled from the River Thames by a rescue crew.
Twenty-nine people remained hospitalized Thursday night. Of those, seven remained in critical condition, and two had injuries that were considered life-threatening.
Three French teenagers visiting London on a school trip were also admitted to the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, according to a French official.
British Prime Minister Theresa May called the slain cop a “hero” — and vowed that British resolve would not be broken.
On Wednesday “an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy,” May said. “But today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism.”
The attack prompted Queen Elizabeth to cancel a planned Thursday appearance to open the New Scotland Yard building in London.
“My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday’s awful violence,” she said in a message to police Acting Commissioner Craig Mackey.
President Trump expressed support to Britain not long after Wednesday’s attack, while former President Barack Obama delivered his own message the following day.
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families in London,” Obama said. “No act of terror can shake the strength and resilience of our British ally.”
Signs of normal, everyday life began returning around London Thursday, with Parliament resuming session and the Westminster Bridge reopening.
May said during her House of Commons address that carrying on was one of the best ways to fight terrorism.
“It is in these actions — millions of acts of normality — that we find the best response to terrorism,” she said. “A response that denies our enemies their victory.”
London, however, remains on “severe” alert — the country’s second-highest threat level — following the carnage, May said.
The city has been a terrorism target many times. Wednesday’s attack is the worst in England since the 2005 subway bombings — in which 52 were killed — and came a year to the day after the Brussels airport and metro station bombings that killed 32 people, an attack that ISIS also claimed responsibility for.
Last weekend, hundreds of police simulated an attack on a tourist boat on the Thames, which winds through London.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan tried to reassure residents and visitors that the city was safe.
“I’m confident that we are doing all that we can to keep our city safe, to keep Londoners safe and to keep visitors safe,” Khan told CNN.
“And when Londoners face adversity, we always pull together. We stand up for our values and we show the world we are the greatest city in the world.”
In London’s Trafalgar Square, a short walk from the scene of horror, residents and tourists carried candles to a vigil for the victims. They were surrounded by a battalion of police as helicopters hummed above them.
Donnelly Devereaux and her daughter Mary-Katherine Caestecker, who both live outside London, said they came to show their support for Cochran and the others who died.
Devereaux told the BBC, “It’s so much more calm here than it would be at home. Everyone’s so calm and collected on the tube (subway), and here in the square tonight.”
Meanwhile, an image of Britain’s flag was projected on the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin Thursday night in solidarity with London.
The Eiffel Tower went dark Wednesday in honor of the victims.
With News Wire Services
