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Counter terror police are investigating after a car ploughed into people and crashed into security barriers outside the House of Parliament.

Witnesses described hearing screams as a silver car drove "at speed" close to the railings outside Parliament in Westminster on Tuesday morning.

Scotland Yard said the Met's Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation into the incident but that officers were keeping an "open mind".

A man, aged in his 20s, is being held on suspicion of terrorist offences, the force said.

Video footage from the scene showed armed officers surrounding a vehicle that had collided with anti-terror bollards.

Images showed the silver car with a crumpled bonnet and smoke appeared to be coming from the back of the vehicle.

Footage also showed armed police speaking to someone in the driver's seat and a man being held by officers with his hands behind his back. He was eventually led away from the scene.

Parliament Crash - In pictures 23 show all Parliament Crash - In pictures 1/23 A Man detained (circled) by Police on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Sky News 2/23 Forensic officerS attend the scene near the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Alex Lentati 3/23 Police activity on Millbank, London after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Good Morning Britain 4/23 Neil Basu Assistant Commissioner for Counter Terrorism makes a statement paul grover 5/23 Police recover the silver Ford Fiesta involved PA 6/23 Sky News 7/23 PA 8/23 Good Morning Britain 9/23 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 10/23 BBC News 11/23 BBC News 12/23 PA 13/23 Reuters 14/23 Sky News 15/23 PA 16/23 PA 17/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 18/23 Police on Westminster Bridge, central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 19/23 Armed police stand in the street after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster REUTERS 20/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 21/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 22/23 Police forensics officers work at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty Images 23/23 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament PA 1/23 A Man detained (circled) by Police on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Sky News 2/23 Forensic officerS attend the scene near the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Alex Lentati 3/23 Police activity on Millbank, London after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament Good Morning Britain 4/23 Neil Basu Assistant Commissioner for Counter Terrorism makes a statement paul grover 5/23 Police recover the silver Ford Fiesta involved PA 6/23 Sky News 7/23 PA 8/23 Good Morning Britain 9/23 A forensic officer attends the scene near the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 10/23 BBC News 11/23 BBC News 12/23 PA 13/23 Reuters 14/23 Sky News 15/23 PA 16/23 PA 17/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 18/23 Police on Westminster Bridge, central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 19/23 Armed police stand in the street after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster REUTERS 20/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 21/23 Police activity on Millbank, in central London, after a car crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament PA 22/23 Police forensics officers work at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty Images 23/23 Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament PA

Scotland Yard said several people were injured in the crash shortly after 7.30am.

Cyclists are believed to be among those injured.

Met Police said officers do not believe anybody is in a life-threatening condition.

Two people were taken to hospital after being treated at the scene for injuries, which are not believed to be serious, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said.

Scotland Yard later confirmed that a man was arrested at the scene.

Cyclist James Maker, 30, of Chelmsford, Essex, passed the scene in Westminster within minutes of the crash to see a woman injured on the floor and the car crashed into the barrier.

"I looked to the right-hand side and there was a cyclist on the floor, clearly injured," he said.

"It was a woman, they were clearly quite injured, they weren't moving and they were in the recovery position."

Fellow cyclists were helping her, he said, adding: "There were a couple of cyclists who had clearly been involved who were sitting on the floor and perhaps had minor injuries."

Witness Ewalina Ochab said: "The car drove at speed and towards the barriers."

She said: "I was walking on the other side [of the road]. I heard some noise and someone screamed. I turned around and I saw a silver car driving very fast close to the railings, maybe even on the pavement."

"The person driving did not get out" of the vehicle, she said.

The vehicle did not appear to have a front registration plate when it crashed, she added.

Sky News reported that emergency services were on the scene “very quickly” and the man who is believed to have crashed the car was led away “on foot”.

Mark White, the broadcaster's Home Affairs Correspondent, said police were moving people away from the scene.

Witness Jason Williams told Sky News he saw “a man driving at speed into the bollard and the police have taken their time to go in.

"I saw smoke coming out of the vehicle. It’s all been high-speed and very, very dramatic.”

He added: “I saw a man driving in a dark vehicle towards Houses of Parliament and he’s gone into the bollard at high speed and it was about 40/50mph.

“I didn’t hear any shouting but then I saw smoke from the vehicle.

“He got out of the car, I don’t know if he was asked. I heard a loud bang and I’m seeing what’s going on, but I couldn’t hear.

“The specialists came in soon after between five to nine minutes.”

He added: “He [the driver] was quite calm and quiet. The specialists were very efficient and dealt with it within minutes.”

Another witness named Victor told Sky News: “I’m the driver of the bus stopped there [points] and I was just driving through the light.

"I saw the car crash into the barrier and a lot of smoke started coming out immediately. So I said we’re not moving anywhere.”

He added: “The police told us to move back, they said they didn’t know what was happening. I would not be able to say it’s a regular RTC, but I don’t think it looked like one.”

"I saw someone was arrested, but I did not see their face or what they looked like. I saw the police with their handcuffs and he was taken away. That was all I saw at this time.”

A Met Police spokesman said: "At 07.37am today, a car was in collision with barriers outside the Houses of Parliament.

"The male driver of the car was detained by officers at the scene. A number of pedestrians have been injured.

"Officers remain at the scene. We will issue further info when we have it."

More than 10 police vehicles and at least three ambulances remained outside Parliament shortly before 9am.

Firearms officers and at least two police dogs were stationed inside Parliament Square.

Officers cordoned the whole square off and asked the public and press to move away from the scene. Westminster Tube station was closed.

The Houses of Parliament are surrounded with security barriers of steel and concrete.

The measures were extended in the wake of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 when Khalid Masood ploughed a car into crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing four people.

Masood abandoned his car then stabbed and killed unarmed PC Keith Palmer before he was shot by armed police in a courtyard outside Parliament.