London attacks: What we know so far about the victims
LONDON (AFP) - Four people were killed in the terror attack outside Britain's parliament on Wednesday, March 22: a woman picking up her children from school, a man from Utah, the United States, a 75-year-old man, and an unarmed police officer.
Westminster Bridge, where the attacker mowed down pedestrians before stabbing the police officer, is a busy tourist spot with its views of parliament's Big Ben clock tower.
Here's what we know so far about the victims:
'HERO' POLICE OFFICER
Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old member of the parliamentary protection force, was fatally stabbed as he stood guard at the Westminster vehicle gates.
Prime Minister Theresa May said the husband and father, who had been a police officer for 15 years, was "every inch a hero".
He previously served in the British army alongside James Cleverly, now a Conservative MP, whose voice shook with emotion in parliament as he called for Palmer to receive a posthumous honour.
As a tribute, London's Charlton Athletic football club placed a scarf on the stadium seat he held a season ticket.
A US tourist shared a photo of herself with Palmer taken less than an hour before his death, so that his family could see him smiling in what may be the last picture of him alive.
Thousands of people also donated money to Palmer's family via a crowdfunding page set up by the police union. The fund had collected nearly £600,000 (S$839220) by Friday evening.
MOTHER-OF-TWO
Colleagues of Aysha Frade, a mother who was run down and killed as she was on her way to pick up her children, said she was "loved" and would be "deeply missed".
A Spanish diplomatic source confirmed that Frade was a 43-year-old British national whose mother was Spanish. Media reports said her daughters are seven and nine years old.
Rachel Borland, principal of DLD College London where Frade worked in the administration team, said she was "highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues".
'A GREAT AMERICAN'
Kurt Cochran from Utah in the United States has been named as the third victim. US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to pay tribute to "a great American", adding that his "prayers and condolences are with the family and friends".
Clint Payne, Cochran's brother-in-law, said Cochran and his wife Melissa were in London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. "Our family is heartbroken," he said.
Melissa Cochran is reportedly in hospital, where she is recovering from a broken leg and rib, and a cut on her head.
75-YEAR-OLD MAN
Leslie Rhodes, 75, a retired window cleaner from south London, died of his wounds late Thursday when life support was withdrawn.
Friend and neighbour Michael Carney, who knew Rhodes for around 40 years, kept a bedside vigil in hospital.
"What harm did he ever do to anyone? He was the nicest man you ever met," Carney said. "My wife and my two girls went up there and were with him until he died, playing him music. He liked Queen."
INJURED VICTIMS
- Police said 31 of at least 50 people wounded were treated in hospital. Two people remained in "critical condition" Friday, while another has life-threatening injuries.
- May said that Britons, French, South Koreans, Greeks, Romanians, and individuals from China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the US were among the wounded.
- Three French pupils on a school trip to London, all aged 15 or 16, are among those hurt. Two of them suffer broken bones but are not reported to be in life-threatening condition. The teenagers are from a high school in Concarneau, in the western Brittany region. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault arrived in London on Thursday to visit them.
- Five South Korean tourists - four women and a man in their 50s and 60s - were wounded after being knocked to the ground by people fleeing as the assailant mowed down pedestrians.
- Among those admitted to hospital are 12 Britons, two Greeks, two Romanians, one German, one Polish, one Irish citizen, one Chinese national, one Italian and one American.
- A woman with serious injuries rescued from the River Thames near Westminster Bridge after the attack, as well as her fiance, are believed to be the two Romanians. Local media in the eastern European country have named them as Andreea Cristea, a 29 year-old architect, and Andrei Burnez. Authorities did not confirm the reports.
- The injured also include three police officers who were returning from an event recognising their bravery, two of whom remain in serious condition.
- Among the injured British nationals are four students from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk who were on an educational visit to the parliament. Student Travis Frain, 19, was thrown over the bonnet of the car, his mother said. "He loves politics, that is his ideal trip, going to Parliament. He was probably buzzing with excitement," said Angela Frain. The teenager's injuries include a fractured leg and arm.
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